On Being Brave
by Duchess Eileen
Summary: Shot Nine; Courage. The most important words never want to come out. / One Shot Collection. NaruHina. /
1. Cowboys

_**D**isclaimer _: I no can haz Naruto, sorryz. D:

_**A**uther's **N**ote_ : Reviewing is very beneficial. :o I wasn't going to post this soon, but then I got several reviews praising my other Naruto and Hinata story, and then one from _Viktor Maryin_ asking for one shots. :o I no can say no to a reviewer.

So anyways, enough pressuring you guys... I already set up a place for my Neji and Tenten one shots, and I thought it would only be proper to make a story for all my Naruto and Hinata one shots. :D If chance has it, I may write another one shot tomorrow, and post it.

Cowboys are awesome. Admit it. You love them too. :3 And I do realize that this is idealistic. I'm Texan, and I don't even own any boots. D: But flow with it. We're in medieval times any hoot.

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If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

- Anonymous

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_**s**hot** o**ne._

**_.o._**

C_owboys_

A small giggle escaped the girl's mouth, and with evident horror, she covered the traitorous opening with a hand. But the blond didn't seem to notice. He continued his odd swagger, a large smirk on his face.

"Hey Kiba!" Naruto shouted out, stopping his odd walk, half squatting, hands at his waists. The dog boy turned, an eye brow cocked at his friend. As Naruto's eyes narrowed, Kiba grinned, catching on. Shino found the cowboy hat he'd been inspecting ripped from his hands, to furnace his teammate's head.

The two boys began circling each other, in true, cheesy, western style.

"Dis town ain't big ee-nough fo' da both ouff us." Naruto drawled, his eyes locked with Kiba's.

"I reckon." Inuzuka agreed, his own hands poised above his waists, like Naruto's. Hinata stood to the side, still hiding her mouth as she giggled relentlessly. Shino stood to his own side, looking... well, looking like Shino.

There was a small, dramatic silence as the two ninjas circled each other comically.

"Draw!" Naruto shouted, drawing the attention of other shoppers. He and Kiba snatched out their imaginary guns at the call, instigating in several rounds of 'pew pew pew', and many other various gunshot noises.

Turning away from the scene, the innocent girl tried to stifle her laughter. It was like they were trying to get her to make a fool of herself. Not that she could blame them. Grinning, she risked a glance over her shoulder, just in time to see Naruto run and propel himself into the air, before, quite ungracefully, rolling behind a wrack of overalls.

"No!" Kiba suddenly shouted, his hands going to his heart. Hinata turned to watch him, mystified. "He got me!" The dog boy doubled over, moaning loudly.

The cashier watched the teenagers with a scowl, from the other side of the store.

"Ahahaha!" Triumphantly, Naruto twirled his imaginary gun on his finger, staring down at his defeated rival with a grin. "No one can defeat Buffalo Naruto! Kiba James, you are no match!" Hinata couldn't help but roll her eyes. Neither of the two boys had even heard of either Buffalo Bill or Jesse James before the sharpshooters had been mentioned to them by the carriage driver.

Hinata turned her attention to the stack of hats next to her. Cowboy hats, all of them. No surprise, as they it was a western shop. The farther west you got, the farmer-er it got, or so Tsunade had put it. The teenagers, none of them having ever spent much time in the western areas of the Fire Country, were in no rush get home after a lax guard mission in the heart of the ranch world.

Her eyes skimmed over a nearby hat. It was maroon, with a small chain of silver hearts going along the edge of the part of the hat that stuck up. The girl mused what it would look like on her; she was too much of a chicken to try it on in front of Naruto, though.

Intent on her ponderings, she didn't notice Naruto making his way over to her.

"Mwahahaha!" He laughed loudly, and she felt his arm encircle her waist.

She dropped the hat, and suddenly couldn't breathe.

He wasn't squeezing her. Not to the point where she couldn't breathe, atleast. But the poor girl couldn't, for the love of herself, move. He was touching her waist. He was _touching _her.

"And now, I'll steal the pretty little heroine, and be off to my evil liar!"

_Pretty?_

_Little?_

_Heroine?_

The blood didn't seem to be reaching her brain. She took a raspy breathe, glancing over at the boy next to her. He grinned back at her, teeth showing, eyes partly blocked by his large black cowboy hat.

"And of course," Naruto said after a pause, his voice teasing as he stared down at the girl, "then I'll have my way with her." This was then followed by boisterous laughter from the teen boy.

Hinata's mind couldn't even comprehend what he'd said. He was hugging her against him, he was calling her pretty, he was teasing her about planning on having... she stopped her mind before the word 'sex' popped up.

Not that it mattered.

She fainted any which way.

"Eh? Hinata?" Suddenly, the blue eyed ninja found himself supporting Hinata's weight, both arms wrapping around her to keep her from falling.

"Oh, great job, you idiot." Kiba remarked, from where he laid sprawled on the ground.

"What the hell did I do?" Naruto snapped, before scoping up the out-cold girl bridal style. She tended to faint a lot, and more then once he'd had to carrying back to a place where the group could wait for her to wake up.

"You really don't know, do you?" Shino said darkly from Naruto's shoulder, and the hyperactive ninja jumped back a foot, before glancing over at where the bug boy had been standing.

"How the hell did you move so fast?" Naruto responded, blinking. Shino didn't immediately respond. His ciphered face stared at Naruto's. Finally, he spoke.

"Idiot." With that, Shino headed out the door, followed shortly by Kiba.

"Dumb ass." Kiba agreed loudly, receiving a glare from the cashier as he exited.

Naruto frowned, before turning his eyes back down to the girl in his arms.

He had to admit, he didn't mind when she fainted.

She was cute, laying in his arms.

"Oi, are you coming?"

"Yea, yea!" Depositing the hat on the counter, Naruto ran after his teammates, making sure to be careful with his pretty little heroine.

_**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**_

_**End.**_

_**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**_

:3I hope you liked that as much as I liked writing it.

Cowboys are awesome. And Naruto, he's just pure win in a cowboy hat! :)

Leave your name and review, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! -beeeeeep-

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	2. Dancing

_**Disclaimer :**_ Knock knock! Who's there? Not the owner of Naruto. D:

_**Author's Notice**_ : Bah, I meant to have this done and up on Wednesday. But then I got distracted by another fan fiction, and then I had to go in for surgery on Thursday, and was out all day. o.o; Ah well.

Here is it, my next master piece! ;D It'll be a two shot, maybe a three shot, depending how much I write. I hope you enjoys. :3

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_I will always dance in the street._

_- Martha Reeves_

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_Dancing_

"This?" Oh god. I couldn't.

"Yes, this." Ino exasperated, before shoving the garment at me. Disbelief colored my face as I stared at the slim piece of cloth.

This was supposed to cover my entire body? I looked up at Ino, utterly horrified. She laughed at my expression, before turning her back to me again and reaching into the bag I'd learned to dread.

"Wait 'til you see the lingerie I picked out." Oh dear god. Why me?

"Lingerie?" I choked out, as Ino pulled the afore mentioned article from the bagging. Grinning, Ino help the bra up so I could see it better.

"Black was the sexiest color they had, so I got it!" She announced cheerfully. Black? No, it was opaque.

"I wear that?" I mumbled, eyes wide. Ino rolled her eyes, putting the bra back into the bag, and pulling out what looked like three pieces of string with a small triangle attached. _Oh god, please let that not be..._

"Isn't this just the cutest pair of underwear?" I couldn't see how the meager piece of clothe was underwear. Backing up, I sat tiredly down on Ino's bed, dropping my head into my hands.

"Ino, I'm not trying to seduce anyone." I told her weakly.

"Well, yea, but," Throwing the string-thing back into the bag, she flopped down next to me, "you can't attend a fancy party without a good pair of lingerie."

Through the years of being supplied with clothes through Ino, I had learned not to argue with her. It was utterly pointless. An hour later, I slumped out of her house, bag clutched to my chest.

_Yea_, I thought, glancing into the bag and grimacing, _this is gonna prove to be an interesting mission._

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"Sweet!" Kiba shouted, shoving the maid to the side, as he barged into the room. "Freaking king sized beds!" Shino apologized to the maid in a low voice, as he himself walked into the room. It was a good looking room – well kept, with it's own radio, and, indeed, four king sized beds. I gazed around the room, surprised.

"Right now, I love granny Tsunade." Naruto announced, as he entered the room behind the other boys, me behind him. I hummed my agreement.

"Shit, this is nicer then my entire house!" Kiba laughed, plopping down on a bed.

"It's an important meeting." Shino replied, staring down disdainfully at one of the beds. Perhaps it was too clean for him.

I half suspected that he liked it when the rooms we stayed in were riddled with cockroaches.

"Important?" Naruto snorted, flopping onto his back on the one of the middle beds. "We're just here so the Fire lord can flaunt his power." Neither of the ninjas replied to him, as what he said was the cold, hard truth.

Recently, the Fire lord's son had cursed out one of the sisters of the Mist lord. Political tension ensued, and now, to make up for his son's rudeness, the Fire lord was throwing a party. Purely to apologize, he assured everyone.

But the trick was, that although it was a party of apologies, the Fire lord wasn't going to miss a chance to show off his power. So he'd called upon all the villages in the kingdom to each send him four of their strongest ninja.

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_"Since when are we your strongest ninja?" Kiba asked, eye brow raised at the fifth. Tsunade let out a sigh, running her hand through her hair. _

_"You aren't."_

_"Oh thanks, granny." Naruto snorted. Ignoring that, Tsunade continued._

_"But I'm not going to waste some of my more prominent ninjas on a worthless mission. As long as we send some ninjas, the Fire lord will be pleased."_

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So, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, and me found ourselves in a fancy inn, on the edge of the Fire lord's private sector.

"If that is all, then I'll take leave now." The maid said, I glanced over at her, confused.

Hold up, where exactly was my room-

All hell froze over, as I glanced at the one unclaimed bed, which laid on the far right, next to the one Naruto was laying on. _This mission hates me. _I thought, gaping. As the maid left, I felt Kiba's eyes on me. I met them, and withered. He was grinning, widely.

"I guess you'll take the bed next to Naruto." Kiba pointed out happily. Akamaru let out a snicker, hopping up onto the bed next to the brown haired boy. Crap. I really hadn't been expecting all of us to remain in the same room. Just being near Naruto embarrassed me, and now I was gonna be sleeping in the bed next to his.

"Hm?" Naruto glanced up and blinked. His eyes darted from my reddening face, to Kiba's smirk. The blond ninja let out a snort. "Well, the bed next to me is cooler then your bed." Kiba let out a barking laugh at this.

Trying to calm the fiery blush that raged on my face, I made my way over to the bed. It, like the rest of the beds, had a silky white sheets. Even if my bed wasn't truly better then the other three in the room, it was still an expensive and high class bed. I sat on it cautiously, almost afraid of breaking it.

"My bed is also next to your bed, idiot!" Kiba snapped loudly. I hoped the walls were sound proof, as I pulled my bag off my shoulders.

"Yea, well, your bastardness totally ruins any possible coolness your bed could have!" Drawing in a loud breathe, Naruto went into a deep explanation. "You see, I'm so cool that my coolness radiates out-"

"Sure." Kiba cut in sarcastically.

"- and spreads to the other beds around mine. Naturally, being closest to this bed, the one I'm sitting on is the best bed. But you see, you're anti-coolness disrupts the flow of coolness, making your bed unfavorable." There was a pause, as Naruto grinned triumphantly at Kiba, arms crossed.

"Unbelievable." Shino muttered from his side of the room. I let out a tentative giggle at this, covering my mouth with my sleeve.

"I bet Hinata agrees with me!" He snorted at my teammates, before swirling around to face me. "Eh, Hinata, I'm just too cool, ain't I?" Oh gosh. I held my sleeve in place, as I giggled softly. Behind Naruto, Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Um... yes, Naruto." I managed, diverting my eyes down to the bed sheets.

"See?" The uproarious ninja proclaimed, waving a hand in my direction. "Hinata thinks I'm cool."

"Hinata has horrible taste in men." Kiba countered, and my giggling ceased completely. Twitching, I pulled my bag up me, unzipping it and immediately beginning to leaf through it, although for nothing particularly. _What the hell, Kiba! _I thought as my heart beat so fast I suspected a heart attack was eminent.

"Eh? She does?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder at my teammate.

"Yep." Kiba said happily, ignorant of the panicked look that was etching itself into my features. _Oh god, Kiba, please don't._ I thought, my face heating up. "I swear, the guys she likes are just weird. Thusly, she's not the one to ask for a coolness rating." I felt like slamming my head into a wall.

"Psh." Naruto sounded unconvinced. "I bet Hinata has fine taste in men." I was pretty sure my whole face was bright red.

"Well," Kiba retorted sharply, "Of course y_ou _would say-"

"Kiba." Shino interrupted fiercely. _Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou._ I risked looking up again. Naruto was looking at Kiba, confused, while Shino was glaring at Kiba.

"What?" Kiba challenged innocently, glancing over his shoulder at our teammate. A moment passed, while the two stared at each other.

"Do they do this a lot?" Naruto asked me, and, gulping and recalling my voice, I answered.

"Ah, yes... now and then."

"Fine." Kiba conceded with a sigh. "But it would be better to just tell him." Again my eyes darted back to my bag, at the jumble of clothes and various weapons.

"Just shut up." Shino replied darkly.

"Okay, what the hell?" Naruto said, finally speaking up.

He didn't receive an answer. But hell, enough had been said. I prayed he wouldn't catch on.

And of course, the mission was far from over.

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"Jesus, Naruto, are you trying to use all the fucking water?" Kiba shouted at the bathroom door, banging on it a few times. "Hinata's gotta shower too!" I cowered on my bed, twirling my hair between my fingers unconsciously.

"I don't mind..." I muttered softly. Kiba ignored me, and continued to bang on the door. He had already showered, and honestly, hadn't been anywhere near fast, like Naruto. I decided not to point that out though, and went back to reading the small novel I'd brought with me. Reading proved difficult though, with Kiba threatening to gatsuga the bathroom door down.

I wished Shino was here. He himself didn't need to shower; his bugs could do the cleaning themselves, as strange as it was.

"It's called _patience, _Kiba!" Naruto growled, as the bathroom door opened, and he stepped out. I glanced up at him, only to immediately tear my eyes away from him. His hair was wet, and laid down tamely. He wore long black pajama pants, and a shirt with the kanji for ramen on it. My thoughts naturally drifted to how cute he looked- I couldn't help it.

I'd been blushing nonstop since the mission started.

"It's called not using all the hot water." Kiba spat back.

With a sigh, I gathered up my clothes, and slid past the two into the bathroom.

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Even though I showered quickly, I took more time then either of the two boys. But I was girl, which changed the circumstances some. Ino had lent me some crazy shampoo and conditioner, and several other hair products, and two body lotions (god knows why I would ever need those).

Being too much of a wimp, I followed her instructions to the letter. _She did go through all the trouble of labeling the bottles... _I noted feebly. Surely it would be rude to not use them.

… I really needed to grow a backbone.

Sighing, I finally climbed out the shower. After drying myself with one of the cushy fancy bath towels, I ran a brush through my damp hair a few times.

It was when I reached into my bag that tragedy struck. I pulled out the smaller bag I'd stuffed my pajamas in before I left out, and unzipped it.

The first thing I noticed was that either my gray baggy pajamas had been died purple, or someone had switched them out for a different pair. Then I noticed a yellow slip of paper sticking up from in between the clothes. I pulled it out, and paled.

_You're welcome! : )_

_- Ino_

The girl was trying to kill me. Horror mulling in my stomach, I pulled out one of the purple slips of clothing. Even though I'd been expecting much worse, I was still not thrilled at what I found.

A few minutes later, I turned slowly, admiring myself in the mirror. I rubbed off most of the mist off the mirror, and was now trying to decide whether I hated or loved the pajamas Ino had got me. I could love them, as they were pretty, soft, had a beautiful silken shine, and were my favorite color. Or, I could hate them, as they hugged my every curve, and _someone_ had pulled off the top two buttons from the top.

Wishing I had other options, I packed my bag up. The pajamas would have to do.

Akamaru lifted his head off the bed, watching at me as I emerged. Kiba and Naruto were gathered on the other side of the room, hunched over the large radio console.

"Try a higher frequency." Kiba suggested. Watching them carefully, I slowly walked towards my bed, consequently walking towards them too.

Something cold pressed into my hip, and I smiled down at Akamaru. He looked up at me questioningly, and I laughed softly, blushing.

"Gift from Ino." I explained, reaching down and scratching his head a little.

"_Holy shit_, Hinata!" I couldn't help but wish Kiba wouldn't curse so much. He was now looking at me, as if I'd grown a second head. Naruto, pulling off his huge pair of ear phones, turned too.

And gaped.

_Shit._ I thought myself. I was picking up Kiba's language. But that was the last thing on my mind, as I turned my gaze back to Akamaru. Anything to avoid looking at Naruto. There was a knowing glint in the dog's eyes. Akamaru grinned, and I flushed more. The dog was too smart for his own good.

Kiba and Naruto were both still staring at me. Kiba looked like it was about to burst out laughing. Feeling slightly offended, I spoke up.

"What?" I growled weakly, crossing my arms, attempting to glare at them. But glaring is hard when you can't stop blushing.

"You're _hot._" Kiba replied, a huge maniacal grin covering his face.

_Eh?_

My eyes darted to Naruto. He was staring at me unreservedly, a faint pink spread across his cheeks.

It's a miracle I didn't faint. Twisting quickly, I nearly threw myself onto my bed, bouncing slightly onto my stomach.. I didn't even bother to reply to Kiba. Blushing furiously, I grabbed at the book I'd been reading earlier, and buried my nose in it. Behind me, Kiba was laughing.

"What happened to your other pajamas?" Swallowing hard, I called upon my remaining courage. Be brave. Answer them. Be tough.

"Ino... um, stole them." I replied flimsily. There was a pause.

"Seriously?" Turning a page in my book, one I had barely spared a glance at, I nodded nonchalantly. His laughter doubling, Kiba only made me turn redder. There was a loud thud, and I turned my head to find Kiba rolling on the floor, laughing hard.

"You are... really cute." Naruto offered lightly.

Oh god. Every muscle in my body froze. I didn't met Naruto's eyes, instead once again looking down at my book.

_And then the beautiful prince leaned down, pressing his lips onto the princess's, their hearts beat loudly, in sync, for the first time ever. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders, deepening the kiss. _

_"I love you," the prince muttered softly, "and always will." The princess's eyes shone with love, as she-_

I stopped reading, laying my forehead onto the book and letting out a frustrated sigh. Last time I ever borrow books from Ino, I decided sourly, closing the book, and rolling over onto my back. Kiba wasn't laughing any more, but that didn't stop me from blushing heavily. Hopefully, Naruto wasn't staring any more. I chanced a glance at him.

Nope, he still was. I slammed my eyes shut, biting my lower lip. _Breathe, in, and out. In, and out. _

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Shino hadn't found need to comment on my new clothing when he'd returned. I'd smiled in thanks, before closing my eyes and going back to my day dream. Naruto had just proposed, and we were making out madly under the full moon.

This little day dream extended itself over the next hour, until Kiba let out a heavy yawn, and hopped onto his bed. "Don't know about you guys, but I'm tired." Rolling my white eyes, I agreed softly. Shino glanced up from the papers he'd been looking through, and nodded. Just what the papers were, I had no clue.

"We'll rise at six." The bug user said. Me and Kiba nodded.

"Wait, in the morning?" Naruto cut in, stunned. I giggled as Kiba answered loudly.

"Yes, in the morning." Kiba replied vehemently.

After a few complaints, Naruto finally agreed to settling in, and one of Shino's bugs snapped the light off for us.

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I woke slowly, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. It was dark in the room, but my eyes could make do with very little light. A small creaking disturbed the near silence, and I rolled over to face Naruto's bed. He wasn't asleep. The boy was staring at the ceiling, looking almost troubled.

I watched him for a few minutes. Every now and then, he would shift, roll over, or move the bed sheets. Taking a big breathe, I tried to calm my nerves. Then, propping myself up on one arm, I called out softly.

"Uh, hey." I whispered. Naruto, who had been rearranging his sheets, froze. I felt like an idiot, but I continued. "Uh... is e-everything okay, Naruto-kun?"

"Okay?" He repeated, his hand going up and rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, yea." Letting out an short, awkward laugh, he whispered back, "Did I wake you?"

_Yes,_ I thought, "No." _Wouldn't want to upset my Naruto-kun_. As soon as that thought drifted through my mind, the reoccurring blush, well, reoccurred. I thanked the fact that it was dark in the room.

Naruto chuckled softly.

"You're sweet, Hinata." No,_ he_ was the sweet one. I stared at him, mouth agape, enveloped in a delicious, fluffy cloud of ecstasy.

_I was sweet?_

"Ah- um-" I stuttered, my heart fluttering, "t-t-thankyou."

He smiled at me, before turning his back to me, and going silent.

Eventually, I drifted back to sleep, lulled by his words.

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"Stupid tie..." Kiba growled, his hands frantically retying the wrinkled raiment for the third time. I watched him from my bed, grinning evilly to myself. Serves him right, trying to embarrass me in front of Naruto yesterday.

"I will dress in the lobby's restrooms, and meet you out front." I glanced over at Shino, and nodded.

"Eh, fine, fine. But Hinata's still gotta dressed, and we haven't even woken Naruto."

"I'm aware." Pausing at the door, Shino added, "I prefer waiting outside." _I knew the lack of creepy-crawlers got him. _I thought with a smile.

"Whatever... success!" Pulling the tie tight, Kiba proudly turned, showing me the tie he had actually managed to fix by himself. I giggled softly, though, as there was one thing wrong.

"You have it on backwards."

"What?" Frowning, Kiba inspected his tie dubiously. "How can you tell?"

"You're not supposed to see where it's sewn together." I explained, covering my grin with my hand.

"Gah! Stupid American clothing." Grumbling, the Inuzuka tore off the tie. Normally, I would have offered to help him. But a little revenge never hurt anyone. Akamaru let out a low whine from Kiba's bed. "It's not like I'm trying to take a long time." Kiba replied to the dog. "Speaking of that... Hinata, wake Naruto up."

Fun. Time to wake up the boy who, an hour earlier, had been filling my dreams. Rolling out of bed and onto my feet, I contemplated how to wake him. Noise wouldn't work. Kiba had been making a ruckus since six, when my normal teammates and me had woken up.

He looked so peaceful, curled on his side towards me. Like an angel. It seemed a shame to wake him up. I took a moment to stare at him, drinking his features with my eyes greedily. Blushing once again, I mentally shook myself.

"Naruto-kun," I said softly, putting my hand gently on his shoulder and giving him a small shake, "it's time to wake up." He let out an incoherent mumble, before one of his hands grabbed my wrist. My heart skipped a beat, but, squeezing my eyes, I tried to overcome the embarrassment.

Giving him another little shake, I tried again.

"Naruto-kun, please wake- _eep!_"

Wow, what?

No way.

Oh god.

My brain tried to comprehend what just had happened. Frankly, though, it was proving difficult, as my mind tended to fry itself whenever Naruto came into close contact with me.

And he was very close.

"The fuck?" Kiba's voice came from the other side of the room. My brain wasn't fast enough to form an eloquent response. My mind's eye replayed what happened; he grabbed my wrist, I shook him again, trying to wake him. He turned, rolling onto his back. My balance left me, and I almost fell over, catching myself on the bed. In the same second, he gave my arm a strong tug, pulling me onto him. His free arm looped around my waist, pinning me in a hug against him. Against Naruto.

_Ohmygod._

His eyes opened slowly, and I found myself staring into a set of blue eyes.

_Ohmyholyfreaking_-

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**End.**

{_of part one_}

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I hope you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it. :3 I'll get the next part up as soon as I can.

Leave a review! :D Or Manbearpig will destroy Tokyo. D;

Happy Spring Break!


	3. Let's Dance

**Disclaimer : **One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, Kishimoto's Naruto, my story.

**Author's Note : **D: I could have had this up yesterday. But Fanfiction was being all funny and not letting me edit or upload stories. It was terrible! But, it works now. :3 So without further wait, I present to you Dancing Part Two!

I think this is a lot better then the first part. So much better, that I'm pondering dissecting it from my oneshot collection and turning it into a series. Thoughts, comments, eh? Right now, if I don't turn it into a series, it'll probably become a three-shot. But who knows? I might end up making it a ffour-shot. Which would be bordering on chapter story... :D

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Love is love's reward.

- John Dryden

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_Dancing_

_**(**_part two_**)**  
_

"Yea, I couldn't get it either."

_Get what?_

"Why do they make ties so freaking difficult?" Opening my eyes, I found myself in a cushy bed, staring up at a white ceiling. Everything seemed in place, other then a strange, light smell. It smelled a little like miso.

I liked it.

"Who knows? Personally, I prefer kimonos." Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. Kiba was sitting on his bed, scratching Akamaru's head. Naruto's back was visible, standing in the bathroom.

"Wanna lend me a hand?" Naruto asked, glancing out of the bathroom. His eyes found mine, and he blinked. "Hinata." I paled, memories suddenly flowing on me. Oh yea, I ended up in bed with him. And by the looks of it, I had fainted.

Eyes flashing down to the sheets, I realized I was in Naruto's bed. Kiba grinned over at me from his bed.

"Mornin', sunshine." I flushed, and scowled at him. "Funny to find you in Naruto's bed." He teased. Flustered, I pushed myself off the bed, onto my feet.

"Er..." I looked up at Naruto, as he approached me. Rubbing the back of his head, he flashed an apologetic grin at me. "Sorry about... um... that..." I eyed the tie he had laying limply around his shoulders, blushing, naturally. _Alright Hinata, pull yourself together._ _Focus on being pissed off at Kiba, and less on being embarrassed around Naruto. _

"It's a-alright, Naruto-kun." I stuttered, approaching Naruto and taking the ends of his tie. _Oh for crying out loud, what am I doing? _Did I want to faint again? I raised my eyes at Naruto; he has his eyebrows raised, a small grin on his face. "Looks like you need help with your tie." I told him daintily, holding the ends of his tie.

"Er, yea." The blond replied, rubbing the back of his head some more. Keeping my eyes on his tie, I swallowed.

"Hold still please." I said softly, before, in a few graceful movements, fastening his tie into place. A bit unnecessarily, I ran my fingers down it a couple of times, flattening it out.

Or at least, I told myself I was simply flattening it out.

"Hey, how come you didn't help me?" Kiba whined, snapping me out of my wondrous state of mind. Reddening, I took a few steps away from Naruto, meeting his eyes fleetingly. He was watching me with surprise, face looking a little red.

"I, um, should get ready." I mumbled softly, twisting on my heel, and nearly dashing over to my bag. Pulling out what I needed, with shaky hands, I made my way back to the bathroom, passing Naruto where he stood, watching me curiously, hands in his black dress pants' pockets.

"Oh, stop ogling, Naruto." Kiba criticized, and I, blushing even more, hurried up my pace, nearly slamming the bathroom door once I made it.

A few minutes later Kiba announced that he and Naruto were going to wait outside with Shino.

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_I can't do this_. I thought, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. _Not in this._

I decided Ino was the devil, as I turned slowly, mortified at the dress. Glancing furtively at the door, I pondered over the possibilities of sneaking out of the inn without being caught. If I could avoid the boys for, oh say, fifteen hours, I'd be in the home stretch.

Unfortunately, I was teamed with the best ninjas for scouting and trailing. Running was out of the question.

_At least she hasn't asked me to do anything with my hair._ I thought, twisting a few strands of my black hair around my finger.

My eyes stared back at me from the mirror. With a sigh, I realized I couldn't push it off any longer.

_I can do this, I can do this. _I thought as I exited the bathroom, and headed for the hallway. _I can __do this, I can do this..._

_Oh crap, who am I kidding? I can't do this._

Suddenly, I was at the sliding door leading out of the inn. I could hear my teammates conversing with each other. Mind whirling, I didn't even pay attention to what they were saying. _I have to do this._ I would do it.

I opened the door, and walked out.

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"_Holy shit, Hinata!_" Kiba exclaimed, and I died inside.

All three boys were staring at me. In other words, Naruto was staring at me. Rubbing the back of my head, I made my way across the courtyard over to where they were gathered, cheeks burning.

"New dress." Shino stated monotonously. I nodded, throughly mortified. There was a pregnant pause, where Kiba eyed me, a small grin on his face, Shino stared at me, looking bored, and Naruto gazed at me, looking shocked. Self consciously, I glanced down at the white dress I was wearing.

If only it's V neck didn't dip below the point of no return. My face heated as I regretted having to show so much cleavage. And of course, you can't forget that the stupid dress ended at mid thigh.

Being picked by Ino, the dress also clung to my curves even better then the pajamas. In fact, the white dress seemed to enunciate my womanly features, more then any covering material should.

"I like the colors." Kiba suddenly giggled, grinning dementedly. I bit my lip, blushing even harder as my eyes traced the orange tie that went around my waist. At first I'd thought it was an obi, the sash used on kimonos. But it was much smaller, and sat like a belt around my hips. Also, there was only enough cloth to tie it together in a little bow at my side.

_Did Ino have to make it orange?_ I asked myself miserably, rubbing the silk tie against my fingers. My eyes wandered up from the sash, to Naruto's own tie.

Orange. His favorite color. His tie's color.

Orange. Naruto's favorite color. My sash's color.

I hoped Naruto didn't catch onto the subtle message Ino was trying to send.

"I think purple would have suited you better." Shino offered. I shrugged, about to respond with a 'maybe' when Naruto spoke up.

"I like the orange." I froze, blinking owlishly. "You look beautiful... um, in it." The last part sounded almost like a side note. I swallowed hard, shifting my weight from foot to foot.

_What nice grass. _There were yellowy-green grass, and some greener grass, and _oh look! A twig!_

_This grass is beautiful. One leaf, two leaves, three leaves... and a what nice leaf colors! There's a red leaf, a green leaf, a I'm-going-to-faint leaf... _

_"You look beautiful."_ The words echoed in my mind. _Respond, respond, dammit! _Forcing myself to breathe, I gurgled out a reply.

"Ah, um, t-thanky-you."

Orange was a pretty nice color.

"Alright, alright, enough embarrassing Hinata." Kiba laughed loudly, before hopping onto Akamaru's back. "We've gotta hurry up and get moving." Eyes widening, I realized with horror that I'd probably held the entire group back by an extra twenty minutes. Ashamed, I sighed softly.

"Sorry for taking so long." I mumbled. The three boys turned to look at me, curiously. I dropped my eyes to the ground, refusing to look at them.

My heart stopped when a hand touched my chin, pulling my face up. Naruto grinned down at me, his blue eyes glowing warmly. I forgot how to breathe, finding him so close.

"The only reason you took so long was because of me." The blond said strongly. There was no way I could respond. My heart was going wild.

"Alright, stop flirting, Naruto." Kiba snapped. I twitched, my cheeks burning like never before. _Dammit Kiba! _I thought, eyes wide.

It was Naruto's response that really got me.

"Make me." His cerulean eyes bore deep into my soul. Cheesy, yes. But, cheesy or not, I felt the earth give away under me.

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"Oh, I think she's waking up." A raspy voice said. Opening my eyes, I gawked, and attempted to scoot backward.

About a foot a way from my own face, was the wrinkled face of a maid. Definitely a made, due to the signature maid bun. The woman laughed roughly, before standing up, and offering me a hand. Reluctantly, I took it, and stood up.

"Is this... the-" I began to ask.

"Briefing room." The old lady said, nodding. I glanced around the room. It was a typical japanese style room, mainly accented by a long, low oak table in the center. Several girls were gathered around the table, talking quietly among themselves.

Joining them, I prepared myself for some serious mission information.

For the next four hours, me and my fellow kunoichis, listened to several different speakers, on 'important' topics.

"Why the fuck does it matter which spoon we use?" I shrugged, messing with my own set of utensils. Having been raised in a noble family, I was used to dealing with complex dinner crap. Temari, on the other hand, hadn't. The desert ninja let out a snort, as the woman speaking start explaining the pros of sticking out one's pinky when drinking soup from a spoon.

"I, um, don't really think anyone notices when you don't change out spoons." I murmured softly to my companion.

"Yea, probably." The pigtailed girl growled. Speaking of pigtails, today, Temari only wore the common number of pigtails. Seeing me admiring her hair, the sand villager offered an explanation. "Matsuri didn't think that my normal hair style was royal enough. So she made me braid it into two pigtails." I blinked, wondering how the skittish sand girl had managed to get Temari do that.  
"Matsuri made you?" I asked shyly.

"Well..." Picking up the soup spoon, Temari chewed grumpily on the end. "She convinced Gaara that the Sand Village would be dishonored if I didn't look girlier." _Ah. _

"Remember!" Me and Temari turned back to the lady speaking, "Head up, back straight, and speak softly! Good luck during the dinner, my dears!" A polite round of applause followed the speaker's last sentence, only interrupted by one of the kunoichis.

"It's over!" Temari cheered, leaping up and pumping her fist into the air. Several of the ninjas around us burst out laughing at that, including myself. The teacher ladies didn't think it was hilarious themselves, but, after a few shared words, deemed 'that one is beyond redemption.' We were allowed to leave.

"Time for the parade." Temari said, rubbing her hands together, as we walked outside.

"Mm." Indeed, people were already gathering on the street, some setting up chairs, others shifting around the crowd, trying to find their friends.

"Too bad the boys are pretty much on the other side of the town."

"We'll see them at the dinner." I supplied, as me and Temari reached the edge of the street. The sand ninja flopped down on the dirt, crossing her legs Indian style. Pausing, I forced myself to copy her. Temari was bold. I could be bold too.

"Think they had to sit through a lecture about dinner manners?" Temari asked, chuckling darkly.

"Oh god," I said, creating the scenario in my head, "I hope not." Temari laughed.

"Why?"

"Kiba-kun has the patience of an exploding note."

"He's the one with the dog, right?" I nodded. Temari's laughter increased. "I remember when he fought Naruto in the chuunin examines." I smiled, remembering myself.

"Naruto-kun used a pretty smart trick."

"Oh please." The sand ninja said, waving her hand. "It wasn't a bad trick, but if Kiba had waited and tried to figure things out, then he wouldn't have fell for it. Patience lacking, definitely." I could have pointed out that that was over five years ago that that happened. But, honestly, Kiba hadn't changed all that much.

At the very least, he was still very, very impatient. Asking questions second was his downfall, most of the time.

The parade started, and lasted over two hours. Various floats, objects, and people made their way though the streets. Some were nifty, simple floats, bearing model dragons, and large paper moons. Other though, were decorated with jutsus. Never before had I seen so many showy-jutsus, as Kurenai had dubbed them when she'd taught my team about them.

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_"Showy-jutsu?" Kiba echoed, tipping his head to the side. Kurenai nodded._

_"Yep." Sighing, the red eyed woman, rested her fisted hands on her hips. "And the only reason I'm teaching you about them is because the third asked me to." _

_"I take it they're not practical." Shino put in._

_"Nope. They're truly worthless, only for, as the name implies, show." Clapping her hands together, Kurenai formed a few quick hand seals. Then, placing her pointer finger to her lips, she blew out a stream of shiny blue bubbles. I stared at the bubbles, amazed._

_"They're beautiful." I commented. Kurenai sighed again, before pulling out a kunai and swiping at one of the bubbles. The kunai passed right through, leaving the bubble in tact._

_"It's a genjutsu." Our teacher continued to explain, "And a very weak one at that. Personally, I despise them, as they're a waste of skill."_

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The streets were bursting with showy-jutsus, dragons flying above the crowds, rabbits and dogs dashing between legs, and birds fluttering from shoulder to shoulder, singing sweet songs. I was stunned at the amount of different abilities that popped up.

"This is crazy." Temari said next to me, "To think that they are this many people who are skilled with useless jutsu." Snorting, she crossed her arms. "We have a freaking ninja shortage, and the Fire Lord is paying people to produce singing birds."

When the birds died away, and the dragons dived down the streets, away from where we were, people started to move.

"Guess it's time for the greeting." Temari sighed.

The greeting lasted for two hours, and probably was the worst part of the day. Temari herself kept growling about how close she was to beating her head against the floor, as it would be more entertaining then what they were doing.

The nobles were arriving, and most of the ninjas had been arranged along the sides of a long, red carpet ("They stole that from the Europeans!" Temari spat.) and every time a noble passed, the ninjas would bow, forehead to the ground.

"My back's starting to hurt." Temari growled half way through.

The last group to arrive was the Mist lord. We weren't even allowed to look up at him, as he passed, or after he passed us. When he entered the great hall, I let out a heavy sigh.

"It's dinner time." Temari said dryly.

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The females and the males were separated at different tables, much to Temari's frustration and my disappointment. As silly as it was, I'd been playing out a scene in my head where I sat next to Naruto, and he flattered me with complements, until the very end were he leaned over and ever so gently pressed his lips against mine-

"Hinata." I jumped slightly, snapped out of my daydream. "Which one is the soup spoon again?" With a small giggle, I pointed out the right spoon for Temari, before picking up my own spoon and digging into the soup.

"Oh, I like tomato soups." A girl across the table from me and Temari said sweetly, extending her pinkie as she sipped soup from the spoon elegantly.

"It's not tomato soup." Temari responded in an equally sweet voice. The girl blinked.

"It isn't?"

"No, of course not." I blinked at Temari, curious as to where she was going with it. I was pretty sure myself it was tomato soup.

"Why is it red, then?" The girl asked, staring at Temari with a set of doe eyes.

"The blood from the baby kittens, of course." The sand ninja explained cheerfully. The poor girl across from us paled, and pushed the soup away from herself. I took another sip of the soup.

Definitely tomato.

Giggling softly, I raised an eyebrow at Temari.

"That seemed a little cruel." I commented. The sand ninja grinned, shrugging as she dug into her soup.

"Ninjas should be able to stomach kitten blood, in my opinion."

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I was being dragged.

"It's not like my team will mind!" I argued feebly, as I was forced to stumble after Temari.  
"Oh please, girl." Glancing back at me, Temari grinned. "Don't be so silly. I bet Naruto has been waiting _all day _to see you." _Am I that easy to read?_ I thought miserably, quickening my pace so I was walking side by side with the kunoichi. "If you're lucky, maybe he'll ask you for a dance." I tried to ignore Temari's elbow prodding my side.

"I d-doubt he'll... a-ask..." The doors to the great ballroom were open, and glowing with multiple colors. Both me and Temari slowed, looking at the door warily.

"How odd. When they said American-stylized party, I was sure it was like, gonna be a Victorian ball room party." Temari mused.

Instead, a bouncer greeted us at the door to the party. We introduced ourselves, pulling out paper passes that had been given to us as we'd exited the dinner room.

The muscled bouncer took our passes, and stepped to the side, motioning for us to enter.

"Cool." Was the first word that dropped from Temari's mouth. I myself was wordless. The only lights in the place were funky colors, and most of them only flashed. The giant room was dark due to that, and seeing even for me was difficult, what with the multitudes of people spilling into it.

"A bar?" I mumbled, gazing curiously at the structure in the center of the room. A few men stood behind a counter, jars and bottles behind them. A few people were already pushing themselves onto stools.

It was, indeed, a bar.

"Is that the dance floor?" Temari giggled excitedly, and I turned to look at what she was pointing at. Raised about a foot off the ground was an area about twenty yards by twenty yards; already had couples twirling around on it, dancing to the odd foreign music that was playing. What stood out most about the dance floor was the fact that the ground was glowing, divided up like a chess board. Some tiles were black, while others radiated with a dull white glow. Every few seconds, the tiles would all flash to white, before a few different ones turned off, and those that were black before remained white.

"Temari!" Said ninja was nearly knocked off her feet as an arm looped around her neck, pulling her into a rough hug. I grinned at Kankuro, as he rubbed his sister's head affectionately. Laughing loudly, the girl pushed him away, eyes glinting.

"You buffoon! You messed up my hair." Temari snapped, grinning widely.

"Thought you didn't like your hair." Kankuro retorted, grinning himself, before turning towards me. "Whoa." I flushed. "You look familiar." I laughed awkwardly, before bowing slightly.  
"Hyuuga Hinata." I said, and the puppet master snapped his fingers.

"Right! From the chuunin exams; I remember you! What's up?"

"Oh, nothing." I said with a giggle. Then I blushed, as Kankuro's eyes trailed up and down my figure. He let out a low whistle.

"That dress is stunning on you." Grinning, Temari punched her brother's shoulder.

"No hitting on her!" She snapped, laughing, "She's Naruto's girl." I covered my face with hands momentarily, trying to contain both the laughter and the embarrassment.

"I am not!" I argued, a small embarrassed giggle escaping me.

"Naruto's girl, eh?" Tapping his cheek, Kankuro surveyed me some more. I diverted my eyes, down to my fancy white leather sandals. "That would explain the orange." Pouting, I crossed my arms.

"C-can't orange just be a color I like?"

"Sure, if you like it because he does." I let out a low growl, my face red. Temari slapped me on the back, laughing. "Want me to help you find him?"

"A-ah!" Right, the guys._ I should probably find them, _I thought. "N-no, I'm fine." I said, before beaming at Temari. "Thanks anyways!" Heart beating in my ears, barely bested by the load music, I turned and weaved through the crowds.

"What the hell is a 'macarena?'" I heard Kankuro asked behind me, as a Spanish song started up on the speakers.

Winding through the crowd proved difficult. No matter what I did, I ended up brushing against everyone, which got very uncomfortable after a hand grasped at my rear. _Where are you guys?_ I thought desperately, gazing around the area. Not a single leaf ninja was in sight.

_It shouldn't be this hard,_ I thought. An eighty pound dog should be easy to spot among a bunch of dressed up ninjas. I considered briefly using my byakugan- but the invitation had clearly stated that jutsus were not to be used unless situations were dire.

I'd circled the room twice. Feeling like an idiot, I gave up. _Maybe they didn't come into the party or something? _I pondered, as I walked over to the bar, and pushed myself onto a stool. One of the bartenders walked over to me, and asked my age.

"Eighteen." I responded, the legal drinking limit for ninjas. The man nodded, "I'll take a light vodka, please." Kiba and Shino were surprised when, during my eighteenth birthday party, I'd ordered a vodka from the bar we'd went to. Ever since I was a kid, I'd explained to them, I'd been given vodka whenever I was sick by the maids. Of all the choice liquor in the world, I had grown an affinity for vodka. For some reason, my teammates, namely Kiba, had thought it was an odd preference for me.

Actually, more appropriately, Kiba thought it was odd that I _had _a preference.  
"Margarita, on the rocks!" A boy called happily, a few stools down. I didn't take notice of him, though. Not right away.

"Age?" The bartender asked.

"Eighteen."

"He's seventeen." Another voice, darker, cut in. "I on the other hand will take that margarita, being the correct age." I recognized the voices, suddenly, and grinned. When my vodka was produced, I grabbed it, and slid off the stool. Sure enough, Kiba and Shino were to be found a few seats away, arguing.

"Man, you're no fun!" Kiba growled, pounding his fist on the counter. "I'll be eighteen in another month! I'm close enough to the drinking age." Shino didn't even respond.

"Kiba-kun, Shino-kun!" I called out. The two of them turned, and Kiba grinned.

"Eh, Hinata! There you are!" As I sat on the chair next to Shino's, I glanced around.

"Where's Akamaru?" I asked curiously. Shino let out a sigh, and Kiba let out a deep snarl.

"Stupid bouncers wouldn't let him in!" Kiba spat, glaring at the bartender as the man handed Shino the margarita.

"The invitation did say no pets."

"He's not a pet, Shino!" Kiba snapped, crossing his arms, and whirling to face the bartender, "And I'll have a soda, thank you very much!" I laughed. It felt good to be with my team again. Their antics always proved to be entertaining.

There was one person of our team that was missing. Taking a small sip off my vodka, I asked nonchalantly, "So... where's Naruto?" Kiba chuckled softly, his eyes flickering in the fluky lighting, amused.

"He went looking for you." Shino explained.

"For me?" I repeated, blinking. The bug user nodded, and I could have swore he smiled. Sniffing at the air, Kiba let out a barking laugh.

"By the smell of it though," Kiba said, "We won't have to wait long for him." I didn't get the chance to ask what he meant.

"I couldn't find her." Someone said grumpily, and I quickly quaffed down the rest of my vodka.

"That's too bad, Naruto." Kiba replied cheerfully to the speaker, twirling on his stool.

"Another vodka, please." I said, shoving my glass at the nearest bartender. Forget the light, I needed hardcore stuff if I was going to get through the night. A silence ensued, as I waited for the bartender to fill my glass. I could feel Naruto's eyes on the back of my head. Either the vodka was kicking in, or he was once again causing me to blush heavily.

"Hinata." _Be brave. Be brave, like Temari. _I forced myself to turn around, and smiled shyly at Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto." The last time I'd seen him was in the morning, when I'd fainted. I'd already guessed that the three of them had carried me to where the girl ninjas were meeting, before heading off to their own meeting room.

I couldn't help but think about how good the boy looked in a suit.

"Your vodka." I turned around and took the vodka from the server, bringing it up to my lips without much adieu, and taking a sip. Naruto cocked an eyebrow, grinning.

"You drink vodka?" He asked, before plopping down onto the stool next to me. I nodded, my eyes fixated on the rim of my glass. Naruto laughed, and I looked up at him. "That's a bit of a surprise." Rolling my eyes, I turned to face him.

"How so?" I asked softly, face glowing. Behind me, Kiba let out a laugh.

"You..." Naruto's eyes searched mine, a small smile on his face, "... seem very... innocent, you know?" His hand appeared, and pushed some of my hair behind my ear. My heart stopped. _Innocent. _Either it was me, or the room was getting hotter.

"Maybe... I j-just.... _seem_ innocent." I did not just say that. I nearly choked on my vodka, as the words I'd just said registered. Naruto stared at me, looking equally surprised. His face looked red. But, perhaps the odd lighting was causing that. _Must be the lighting, _I thought apprehensively, swirling around the contents of my vodka.

"Damn, Hinata." Naruto broke the awkwardness with a laugh, and I couldn't help but smile. I loved it when he laughed. The way his face lite up... it just made everything feel right. As he stood up, I blinked. Was he going somewhere? "Um..." Messing with his tie nervously, Naruto grinned down at me, "I'm really no good with, um, dancing... but, ah..."

My eyes grew wide, and my pounded in my chest. I prayed the vodka kicked in fast enough to keep me from fainting like usual. I could hear Kiba snickering behind me.

"Wanna dance with me?"

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**End.**

{_of_ _part two_}

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Well? :)

Should I turn it into a series? Or should I just end it? Opinions, opinions, opinions!

Also, if you leave a review, did you think the second part was better, or the first part?

As a little side note, I've never been in a bar in my life. :3

Have a great spring break, those who are on it! :D

Vocabulary fun!

Quaff (_verb_)

**1.** To drink deeply


	4. Emails

**Disclaimer :** not_naruto_owner

**Author's Note :** Dancing will just be a three-shot that I'll finish up later. This is my latest installment in my one-shot collection. ;D Emails! It is an AU, as they do not have computers in feudal japan.

Least, not that I know of.

A long time ago, I remember reading a Harry Potter fan fiction where the author showed emails between characters. I wish I could remember the name of the fan fiction, but it was a couple years go. Anyways, I decided I'd take a shot at it myself. :)

**to**_**.**com_/**from****.**_net_/**topic**_**.**__org_/**reply**_**.**__edu_/**delete**_**.**__gov_/**block**_**.**__mil_

ASDFGHJK

- Ray Tomlinson

**to**_**.**com_/**from****.**_net_/**topic**_**.**__org_/**reply**_**.**__edu_/**delete**_**.**__gov_/**block**_**.**__mil_

_To_: shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Questionful

**---**

_._**  
**

HEY STUPID!

:)

I have a question.

.

**------------****------------**

_To _: ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic _: Leave me alone

---

.

STFU, dumbass.

.

**------------****------------**

_To _: shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : I'm Serials

---

.

I'm being serious, dammit!

I need to know the email of the chick who sits next to you!

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Good for you

---

.

I wasn't aware you could be serious.

Which one?

Black hair, or pink hair?

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Great for Me

---

.

You're just jealous of my awesomeness.

Hinata; black hair, in other words.

.

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With a sigh, the pale skinned boy reluctantly turned to the girl next to him.

"Hinata, what's your email?" The white-eyed girl stared at him, aghast. On his other side, he could hear Sakura let out a small, indignant growl. Of course, one of his avid fan girls wouldn't want him emailing someone other then herself. "My friend wants to know." He explained further.

"Um, your f-friend?" Hinata squeaked in reply, blinking a few times. Her mind whirled, as she mentally went over the boy's friends. Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Kankuro, Kiba, Shino... and at the top of that list... the boy she'd been crushing on, hard, for the past two years. But what would the chances be that Naruto would want her email?

_That'd be just silly, _she told herself, trying to calm her over reactive nerves, _why would he want my email? _Cheeks bright, she muttered her email. With a small nodd, Sasuke typed it down. Maybe it was Shino, the girl rationalized. She'd been paired up with him and Kiba Inuzuka for a project in Health.

Chewing her lip, Hinata grimaced. That was unreasonable, as she had Health right after Intro into Computers. Shino was incredibly patient, and they hadn't a thing due yet for the project.

Shoving her nervousness to the side, Hinata forced herself to get back to work on her assignment. There was no point worrying about something that was probably completely irrelevant.

Right?

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_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Sucks to be you, though

---

.

How can I be jealous of something that doesn't exist?

eastern x lily

Why do you want her email?

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : No, it's Freaking AmazingtobeMe

---

JEALOUSY.

I'm just too awesome.

And you know it.

Are eastern lilies like, a different kind of lily or something?

And no reason.

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Ran out of room?

---

.

You're annoying.

Dumbass.

Sure. Going to ask her out?

.

**------------****------------**

_To _: shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Shutup

---

.

You're an emo.

OHHHHH BURN!

You're no help. Thank god for google!

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Exactly what I ask of you

---

.

Dumbass.

It's not that I'm no help.

It's that you can't be helped.

So, are you going to ask her out?

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Jealousy

---

.

Emo.

I can't be helped cause I'm completely and utterly awesome.

.

**------------****------------**

_To _: ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic _: Sure

---

.

Are you going to ask her out?

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Wow.

---

.

No shit?

You're going to ask her out?

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Cat got your tongue?

---

.

I'm surprised.

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : Blackmail

---

.

Fine.

Maybe I'll just ask Hinata what she thinks of you asking her out.

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : shadows_revenge

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : NO!!

---

.

Ask her that, and I'll tell give those pictures of you with the teddy bear to Sakura.

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic _: Hmph.

---

.

You wouldn't.

… I was kidding, anyways.

.

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Satisfied with his friend's response, Naruto cracked his knuckles. _Time to get down to business. _Flushing slightly, he glanced over his shoulder at the girl he was about to email. It was kind of a last-resort thing. Twice so far he'd tried to approach her, and first time she fainted. Second time the bell had rang, and she, apologizing profusely, had dashed off to her next class.

Chewing his Stride gum thoughtfully, Naruto pondered how to start the conversation with the shy girl.

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_To _: eastern x lily

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Hi. :)

---

.

Hi. :)

I like ramen.

.

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Over at her computer, Hinata nearly had a heart attack.

_Ramendelux101?_ There was one boy in class who made his love of ramen no secret. Gulping, Hinata responded, fingers shaking as she did so.

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_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : eastern x lily

_Topic_ : Hi.

---

.

Ah, hi!

Ramen is nice. :)

.

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The typically reserved girl couldn't stop shaking as she hit the send button. _Oh god. _

_Oh god._

_Oh god._

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_To_ : eastern x lily

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : Cute.

---

.

How are you? :D

I think they should make a national holiday for ramen.

.

**------------****------------**

_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : eastern x lily

_Topic_ : What is?

---

.

I'm good. How are you?

That would be interesting! :)

.

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Naruto grinned widely, as he quickly typed his response. Kiba eyed the blond next to him skeptically.

"What the fuck are you up to?" The dog enthusiast asked.

"Oh, nothing really." Naruto chortled in reply, before hitting the send button and glancing over his shoulder at Hinata.

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_To_ : eastern x lily

_From_ : ramendelux101

_Topic_ : You are! :)))

---

.

I'm great.

Hey, wanna go out with me? ;D

I know a great place for ramen we could go to!

.

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Sasuke sighed heavily as the girl next to him passed out, and, with a loud thud, said girl fell onto the floor. While many of the people near him leaped to their feet, voicing concern for the fallen girl, Sasuke focused on his computer, eyes narrow as he typed out an email.

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_To_ : ramendelux101

_From_ : shadows_revenge

_Topic_ : She passed out

---

.

What the fuck did you do to her?

Dumbass.

.

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From across the room, Naruto laughed boisterously, rubbing the back of his head. Cheeks red, he watched guiltily as his classmates tried to resuscitate the fainted girl.

_Maybe I came on too strong?_

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**the****.**_end  
_

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_To _: readers

_From_ :author

_Topic_ : lolzzz my stories :D

---

Yay, product placement! -chews Stride gum-

I are hoping you enjoyed my story.

It was fun writing.

I was laughing as I wrote it. :D

I'm that much of a nerd.

LEAVE ME A REVIEW!

-hits send-


	5. Imagine

**Disclaimer** : Badger badger badger badger badger I don't own Naruto badger _MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!_ (ooh, it's a snake!)

**Author's Note** : Sugar is fun. :D I just had a huge bowl of ice cream. If you read my disclaimer, you may have realized that I am not quite... well, logical is one word. ;D

Anyways, I'm not sure if I like this oneshot. I'm not sure if it's good. It's odd. I never can tell with my own work! D: So it may be good; it's really fluffy, I thinks. I kinda like fluff, so I'm not worried about that. But... I dunno, I don't think I can write fluff. Maybe I can? I'm not sure. Gah, sugar over load! -slams head into desk-

So. This idea came to me. I was like, 'lawl i think ill writ dat :D' and I did.o-o

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

_Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence._

_- H. L. Mencken_

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

**Imagine**

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

The bell to the inn rang innocently as a blond backed slowly through the rusty old front door. Placing down the cup he'd been cleaning, the inn keeper leaned across the counter, watching the boy curiously.

Grinning sheepishly, Naruto made his way over to the man, carrying his bundle carefully.

"Hi." He said softly, "I need a room." The inn keeper chuckled quietly, glancing down at the sleeping girl in the blond's arms. "My fiancée fell asleep while we were traveling." Reaching one of his hands into a nearby drawer, the old man rummaged for only a moment, eyes flickering down to the the odd assortment of keys in the coffer.

"The room is right up stairs." The inn keeper replied in a low voice, a cordial smile on his face, as he held out a small key. "First door on your left. It's twenty for the night, but you can pay in the morning." Grinning, Naruto nodded, shifting the sleeping girl gingerly, freeing a hand to take the proffered key.

It was a simple room, dominated by one fluffy looking bed, the only other notable objects being a dresser and a window. Floor boards creaking under foot, Naruto made his way over to the queen sized bed.

A tap on the window caught his attention, and he coughed loudly. Barely visible in the darkness beyond the window, a man grinned, baring canine teeth. "See ya later!" Was the hissed farewell, and then the man was gone. Two other figures crossed by window, silent shadows in the night.

With a sigh, Naruto laid the sleeping girl gently onto the bed. The sound of a zipper broke through the silence that clung in the air, as Naruto unzipped the girl's jacket and inspected her side. The bandages were white; grinning in relief, Naruto did his best to pull her jacket off. It was hot in the room, and he wasn't looking to make her boil.

Tossing the jacket in the corner, he paused as he looked back at the girl.

Moonlight filtered in through the solo window, making the pale girl glow. He stopped, amazed.

She was beautiful.

Rubbing the back of his head, he tore his eyes away from her. _I must be spending too much time with Jiraiya. _He thought, a blush decorating his cheeks. She was friend; it'd be silly to think of her as anything else.

_Then again... _a devious smile came over his face. _She is my fiancée. For now, at least._

In his head, a comical scenario played out.

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

_"Honey, I'm home!" The door flew open, banging loudly against the walls. Several pictures jumped on the walls, but thanks to strong tacks and a few adhesive jutsus, stayed in place. Grinning, Naruto strutted his way into his house. A beautiful girl, clad in a short, white dress, turned and smiled at him._

_"Welcome home, Naruto-kun." Hinata purred happily. Naruto's grin intensified._

_"And how's my pumpkin?" He asked boisterously, wrapping his arms around her. She giggled, blushing._ Cute,_ he couldn't help but think. His eyes traveled down her perfect form, and his smile turned positively stupid. But she only giggled more._

_"Good. The ramen's almost done." Of course! Drooling only slightly, Naruto placed his head on her shoulder, gazing at the pot she'd been attending to. Miso ramen, naturally._

_"God, I love you. You know that, right?" Pulling his head back up, he stared into her white eyes, causing her cheeks to become even pinker._

_"Hmm..." She said, her voice dropping seductively, "I think I'm going to need evidence if I'm going to believe you." _

_"Evidence?" The boy chuckled in response, pressing his forehead into hers. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck. "Hm..." Eyes darting once again at the pot, "How long until the ramen is done?" Hinata laughed, her eyes shinning in a way only hers could._

_"Five minutes tops." _

_"Plenty of time then!" Naruto announced happily, before sweeping her off her feet. Giggling, Hinata smacked his chest lightly, rolling her eyes. _

_"You're amazing." She teased, as he carried her to the bedroom. _

_"Nope." Naruto responded happily, "You're amazing."_

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

Okay, so maybe he got a little too wrapped up in his day dream.

And maybe he was drooling.

"Na... ru..." Blinking, the boy sat up straight, his eyes going to the girl laying beside him. She was stirring slightly, her eyelids shaking as she pressed them close. As the back of his hand brushed past her cheek, she settled down partially, a content sigh escaping her lips.

Naruto stared at Hinata, cursing his imagination.

Why did she have look so appealing, laying there, hair spread out? She looked innocent, almost child like. His hand brushed against her cheek again. _Soft... _He thought, biting his lip.

Spinning around, Naruto glared diligently at the window.

He felt like he was sitting on his hormones. And they were very unhappy, being sat on, wanting to move, to act. The longer he sat on them, the stronger they got. Soon enough, his entire weight wouldn't be enough to win.

Rubbing his temples, Naruto tried to get her out of his mind. This wasn't fair; it was bad enough she'd been ravishing his thoughts for the past month. But for her to look so cute... and at a time where he couldn't even do anything!

_Kissing her right now would probably be akin to sexual harassment. _He pondered sourly, chewing on the side of his cheek.

_Damn it, why did Kiba and Shino have to leave her with me? _

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

_"We need to follow them." Naruto frowned at the bug user. _

_"I thought we lost them?" The blond ninja asked, confused. Kiba let out a barking laugh at that one._

_"Dude, we're the fucking tracking team. We never lose them." Naruto's frown turned into a scowl, and he crossed his arms._

_"Cocky, aren't we?" _

_Shino spoke up again. "Kiba is right. But we also have to think about Hinata." Slowing his pace, Kiba dropped back so that he was walking beside Akamaru. From the other side of Akamaru, Naruto stabilized Hinata with a hand on her good side, as Kiba pulled up the girl's jacket, and patted her wound, hand glowing blue. _

_Naruto always found the Inuzuka's knowledge of medical jutsu surprising. If even dog boy's knowledge ended at healing small scrapes and analyzing wounds. _

_"She's doesn't seem to be bleeding any more." Pushing the jacket back into place, Kiba sniffed the air. "Scent's getting staler." He added._

_"Naruto, take Hinata." Without much warning, Shino pulled Hinata off Akamaru, his bugs helping to keep the girl from moving too much. _

_"Eh?" A moment later, the white eyed girl was placed delicately into his arms. Shuddering slightly as the bugs fluttered away, Naruto pulled the girl up to his chest. "Why?"  
"Because when it comes to stealth, you suck." Kiba laughed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Naruto let out a low growl._

_"Once again, Kiba is right-"_

_"Twice in a row! Alright!" Kiba interrupted, pumping his fist into the air, two fingers extended. Akamaru barked happily._

_"-although he still remains a asinine fool," Shino added darkly, before continuing, "this mission is simply a find and locate. We do not need to engage the enemy. My bugs have located an inn nearby; take Hinata and pretend to be everyday travelers. We'll meet up with you later."_

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

"Why are you doing this to me?" Naruto asked Hinata softly, before twisting onto his stomach, angled towards the girl.

A few moments later, he regretted this change in position. His face, propped up on his hands, was a few inches from her, a space he could easily close.

_Remember, sexual harassment. _Licking his lips unintentionally, Naruto stared into the face of the young ninja. A young ninja, who looked so sweet, with her soft hair...

"Crap." Naruto hissed under his breath, untangling his hand from the ends of her hair, where his fingers had been weeding themselves.

Murmuring incoherently, Hinata shifted, rolling around so that she was facing him.

Blushing furiously, Naruto concentrated on the flower design that covered the bed spread, amazed at the affect that she had over him. _Too pretty for her own good. _The blond decided, his hand once again going to her hair.

But this time he let it play with the dark strands, twisting gently around them, never pulling, always careful.

He really didn't want to wake her up. Paling, Naruto gritted his teeth. _She's going to think I'm some sort of pervert... like a second Jiraiya. _It was hard, though. To stop messing with her hair. And even harder to stop his eyes from wandering around the places her jacket typically hid.

The hormones were winning. Gulping, his fingers traced their ways up her hair, sliding onto her cheek. She did have soft cheeks. Mesmerized, he poked he cheek gently. _Man, Sakura would kill me if I did this to her. _But this was Hinata. She was... _sweeter. _

And then there were her white eyes. So strange, but in their own ways, very pretty.

After about ten seconds of staring into her eyes, something deep in Naruto's brain clicked.

"Hi-_Hinata_!" He yelped, leaping clear off the bed. Face bright red, the Hyuuga girl sat up, white eyes wide. "I- um- _shit_-..." _Sexual harassment. SEXUAL. HARASSMENT. _

There was a pause. Both teens stared at each other awkwardly.

"Um... wh-wh-wh-where's Kiba and Shino?" The girl stuttered faintly, her eyes dropping down to the bed nervously.

"Er, they went to track the target." Naruto explained, expelling a large breath. _I can get through this. _"You were, you know, old cold, and um..." Scratching the back of his head, the blond made his way back over to the bed, and sat down cautiously. "I'm really not the tracking kind." He concluded with a laugh, flashing his trademark grin.

Another heavy silence.

"Er... so... it's just, um, us two." Hinata was shaking, her eyes focused away from him. _Great, _Naruto thought, gulping, _I really freaked her out. _"Um... so..." _Conversation. Make conversation. "_What's up?"

The girl seemed even more horrified. Adam's apple bobbing, the clueless ninja tried to remedy the situation.

"I mean, unless you would rather sleep! You don't have to answer; it's totally fine if you don't!" Laughing loudly and rubbing the back of his head, Naruto rambled on, "I kinda woke you up and I'm really sorry; I mean, I really didn't mean to!"

Hinata looked terrified. Naruto was inches from smacking his head against a wall, hard.

"U-uh... i-it's f-fine... Naruto-kun..." The shy girl muttered, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment, before dropping again. Naruto blinked, considering the girl in front of him. Her face was bright red. _She's blushing. And blushing more then before. _Naruto had read enough of Jiraiya's works to know that girls tended to blush when embarrassed, or... well, when around their crush.

When embarrassed, girls tended to protest, argue, or just plain scream their head offs at whoever was daring to embarrass them. Hinata wasn't excluded from that bracket; he's seen her argue feebly with her teammates, namely Kiba, from time to time when teased by them.

_She may like me._ The blond ninja thought suddenly.

This brilliant deduction rocked Naruto off his feet. _If she likes me... _well, that would mean he could ask her out. Which would mean he wouldn't have to fight his hormones (at least not as much.)

_If_ _she likes me. _He thought, emphasizing the _if _part mentally.

"Hinata?" Naruto said softly, pulling his legs onto the bed and sliding over to Hinata's side, facing her. Crossing his legs, the blond tipped his head, staring curiously at the white eyed girl. Said girl squirmed under the attention, blushing and gazing into the far corner of the room.

"A-ah... uh um... N-na-" Gulping loudly, the girl started again. "Y-yes?"

_Mental checklist time. _Naruto thought, computing a quick list of things that a girl might show when near a crush.

_Blushing. Yes._

_Swooning. _

Although the girl at current was still conscious, a flood of times when she had passed out came to Naruto.

_Definitely_ _check._

_Flirting. _

Well, he could scratch that one out. It was invalid, in his opinion, because of her extreme shyness.

_Kindness. _Girls were kind towards the guys they liked. He couldn't count how many times his head suffered the wrath of Sakura because she couldn't and wouldn't take him insulting her precious Sasuke-kun. And then she'd turn around, and dote over the angsty raven haired boy.

Eyes trailing up and down the timid girl, the corner of his mouth raised.

_Check. _Hinata tended to speak up (to the best of her ability) whenever Kiba bad mouthed him. Which was often, as the two boys argued quite a bit. Most of the arguing was done in good nature, though. As far as friends went, Kiba was up there, second only to Shikamaru, if you excluded Sasuke.

"Er, Naruto?" The girl asked feebly, her pale eyes finding his.

Her eyes shot open, as he leaned forward, closing the space between them, like he'd wanted to before.

"Hm?" He murmured, grinning crookedly. Her breath, which she actually seemed to be having trouble catching, tickled his face. "Something wrong?" The girl stared into his eyes, gaping. It was interesting, seeing her eyes from so close up. He searched her bloodline trait, admiring it's odd translucent color.

"I-... uh- N-n-n-naru- oh god..." He couldn't help but chuckle lightly. For some reason, Naruto found provoking this response from her fun. She looked so cute, completely shocked, her whole face turning red.

If there was one thing he'd learned through the years with Hinata, it was to be fast.

She tended to faint if you didn't act quickly.

He pressed his lips onto hers' lightly, his eyes fluttering shut. Her lips were supple against his own. A second passed, where he was enveloped in his first kiss (with a girl), doing his best not be too blatantly clumsy with his make out skills.

And then she started to kiss back. Tenderly, Naruto grasped the back of her head with his hand, deepening the kiss.

When they broke apart, they were both panting.

And then she fainted.

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

**End.**

-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-.`~.`-

I think this will just be a oneshot. :D Unless you guys are all 'OHMYGAWD CONTINUE'.

But still. Probably won't. :3 I still have to finish up Dancing. This was just a little idea of mine.

Funny thing is, thinking up the name was near the hardest thing. I was gonna call it "Inn", but that sounded stupid. So I almost went with "Deduction" but I didn't like that. Gah. D: Names are hard to think of. Oh well. "Imagine" works well enough, right? xD

DO ME A FAVOR AND LEAVE A REVIEW, _AND_ **TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE ONESHOT IN THIS COLLECTION SO FAR! (or really, favorite chapter. Since Dancing isn't really a oneshot. :D)**


	6. The Dance

**Disclaimer** : Rock, paper, Naruto! ( do not own D; )

**Author's Note** : Someone did point out to me that the ages were 'off'. Actually, other then knowing that at some point all the ninja's in Naruto's grade were twelve together, we can't say who's oldest. Some say because Hinata was born in December, she must be the youngest. That would be true, if everyone in the same year was in the same grade.

But I interpreted it as the cut off for who got in the grade being sometime in August, like it is for the area I live in. Naruto would be oldest, being born in October. Youngest would be someone born in July. I was also using the Naruto Pedia's age estimates to estimate ages. It calls Kiba fifteen-sixteen in part two, but Hinata sixteen.

Not that it really really matters. But, that is my explanation, if you are curious about the ages.

Anyways, I present to you, part three of dancing! :D I hope you will be enjoying.

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Love conquers all.

- Virgil

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(**0**_0_0)

(0_0_**0**)

_Dancing_

_**(**_part 3_**)**  
_

I was pretty sure the vodka was kicking in, as I let Naruto guide me through the crowd.

Or at least, I prayed it was. Last thing I needed was to faint the moment he wrapped his arm around my waist.

Every step seemed like another step towards my inevitable doom. Each step was another step closer to that towering, glowing ballroom floor. Each footstep seemed to ring out, announcing to the world my fate, even with a heavy country song blaring over the party.

And then we reached it.

My heart sunk as I gazed at the couples, doing odd dancing. _What the hell am I doing? _I thought frantically, resisting Naruto's pull a little, as he stepped up onto the dance floor. Glancing back at me, the man of my dreams blinked curiously.

"Er, something wrong, Hinata?"_ Oh, nothing except the fact that I'm so far out of my league, that it's not funny._ I thought. I forced out a small laugh. _Come on vodka, kick in._

"Oh, u-um, no, nothing. E-everything's just dandy!" My breathing was becoming erratic as I inched towards the floor.

Thank god a slow dance came on. Like destiny, a song I could dance to overtook the country song, and couples on the floor gathered together, swirling in a mix of colorful clothes and neon lights. Using Naruto's hand as leverage, I stepped onto the floor.

Easy part over. I gulped as Naruto took a step closer to me, grinning foxily.

_I am panting? _I thought in horror, as he stopped his approach, about six inches away. I attempted to concentrate on breathing normally, as he raised the hand that was still holding mine.

I all but jumped out of my skin when he put his hand on my waist. In fact, if someone had prodded me with a cattle iron, I'd probably react near to the same. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god- _my mind was a broken record.

"Um, Hinata?" _I'm making a fool of myself in front of him! _The few working parts of my mind cried sadly. I met his eyes, and attempted to smile again. I was shaking. "If you, ah, don't want to dance with me, you don't have to." _No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

_Think fast! _I needed to provide a good answer. I need to explain that I wasn't shaking, that I wasn't reacting like I was, because I _didn't_ want to dance with him. Rather, I _really, really _wanted to dance with him. It was beyond my wildest dreams.

I needed to say that, but in a less drastic, less crazy, less obsessive way. Vodka or not, I didn't trust myself spitting out an answer. Though, if I could make an answer, it would be a point for me.

I wasn't sure I could answer. I seemed to have swallowed my tongue.

His free hand touched my chin, pushing my face up to met his. I'd been staring at his tie, burning holes in it with my intense dismay. He looked disappointed, crushed almost.

_I'm crushing my crush. _I thought suddenly.

Naruto's gaze shifted into bafflement as I started giggling. _Crushing my crush. Brillant._

I needed to write that one down.

"Hinata?" Sobering up slightly, I collected myself together. This was serious stuff. No matter how funny some of it was. The angst started to come back, and I licked my lips, anxious. Right. Answer. Response. Speak.

_Do something. _

I stepped forward, and laced my free arm around his shoulder.

The working parts of my mind calculated the distance from him to me was a measly two inches.

I swear I could hear Kiba laughing in the background.

"I'm just embarrassed." I wasn't even aware I was speaking until the words left my mouth. I was pretty sure, after I said it, that I'd meant to think those words. Think them, and then think _I know I can do this. _

Then probably think, _Oh god now our bodies are touching._

Which by the way, they were. Naruto was laughing, as he pulled me against him, a warm smile adorning his face.

"You tend to be embarrassed a lot." He started to lead me into the crowd. God, I was schooled in dancing. I had spent an unnumbered amount of hours twirling royally under my mother's instruction as a child. And yet he was leading me.

But perhaps I should have just been thankful my legs were working.

When someone bumped me hard from behind, I assumed it was just my clumsiness causing others to suffer. But when a few moments later, I was all but knocked off my feet into Naruto by a heavy shove, I reconsidered.

"Oh my god, you two look so cute!" Temari laughed. I might have responded, if I hadn't lost most of my ability to move the moment I was pressed flush against Naruto. I raised my head slowly, finding him looking down at me, cheeks red.

_Oh crap, _some part of me thought, _overload. Overload! _My whole face felt like it was on fire.

"I'm glad this party isn't totally worthless." I could hear Temari blabbing in the background, "I wonder what your kids will look like."

"What!?" That was me. _Kids. _My legs went numb, and the world started to fad.

"Oh, thanks Temari!" I could hear Naruto say, as I gradually passed out.

The last thing I thought was, _I need another shot, or three or four, of vodka._

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"And, I swear, I thought our oldest elder was going to have a heart attack." They were laughing. Who they, you ask? Popping an eye open, I scanned the immediate grounds. Temari was sitting on a table, while Shino, Kiba, and Kankuro were gathered nearby, the latter two over come by fits of laughter.

Closing my eyes, I let out a small sigh. The neon lights were still flashing, but from my survey, the place looked less crowded. I must of passed out for awhile. Not surprising, with the vodka I'd drunk. And the fact that I had been pressed against Naruto.

The wall next to me shifted, and I blinked. _The heck? _I thought, prying my eyes open and peering at the wall I had been leaning against.

"Are you awake?" Naruto asked me softly, as I turned to look at him. The table I was sitting at wasn't anywhere near any walls.

My wall was actually his shoulder.

"Tell them the next part!" Kankuro put in happily, grinning toothily. Temari nodded several times, an overly childish grin plastered on her face. As she took a swig from a colorful, no-doubt alcoholic concoction, I realized why.

"H-how long was I out?" I muttered softly, placing a hand on the bench below me, and attempting to sit up straight.

"About two hours." Naruto replied gently, his blue eyes watching me, concern evident.

"Okay, okay, so this one old fart hops up, and says," Changing her voice to a deep pitch, Temari continued mockingly, "'This is unacceptable! The Sand Village is a fine name!'"

"You mean he bought it?!" Kiba demanded, wheezing loudly as he fought for breath.

"Yea!" Replied Temari, voice going back to normal. "And-, oh my god, and then Gaara says, 'I know. I simply elaborated it.'" I stared at the Sand ninja, lost.

"And so I say," Kankuro kicked in, hopping to his feet as he continued the story, "'yea, Elder, Sand was awesome name. But Sand_box_ is awesome plus win!'" His fit of giggles revealed that he too had had his fair share of alcohol.

I took Kiba's mad rolling on the floor as a sign that he also had a few beverages. Then again... he did like to roll on the floor.

I assumed it was a dog thing.

"Are you feeling okay?" My attention was drawn to the boy next to me. I felt like someone splashed me with water, as a blush rushed upon my cheeks without warning. I was agonizingly aware of his shoulder, pressing into my own.

"A-ah, yea." I replied shyly. There would have been a silence, if music wasn't blaring over head, and Kiba and Kankuro weren't laughing their asses off. Temari grinned triumphantly, before yawning.

"A-a-a-a-ah." Enunciating her yawn, the sand ninja rubbed her eyes. "I'm tired. Let's go home, Kanny." Kankuro let out a large snort, swaggering a bit as he walked over to his sister's side.

"Leave? But the party just shtarted!" He slurred, using the table for support. Scowling, Temari punched his shoulder, hard.

"We're leaving!" She commanded, crossing her arms and glaring at her brother. Kankuro, sighing, turned and headed for the exit, tail between his legs. "See yall later!" With a final wave, the sand girl set off behind her brother.

Leaving me with the boy of my dreams, a hammered Kiba, and Shino.

"So, are we going to head back to the hotel?" Naruto asked from beside me.

"Are you kidding?" Kiba roared from his position on the floor. "There's free drinks! Why would we ever leave?" A moment later, the boy was being pulled to his feet by Shino.

"Leaving. Now." I laughed freely at this, standing up. The moment I stood up though, my head felt strangely light, and then I was falling.

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I was being rocked. And I liked it. It was very comfy, being pressed up against... well, heck if I should know. It seemed to be another wall. Voices though, one coming from directly above me, made apparent that this wall was like the last one.

I didn't have to open my eyes to know that Naruto was carrying me. Although his voice also gave it away, I actually got all the hints I needed from his jacket. It was made out of different cloth then Kiba's and Shino's. A stiffer material; not that I minded. I liked being cuddled up in it, soft or not.

The thought crossed my mind that I should probably get up and walk for myself. I was pretty much using Naruto. _Oh, just another minute. _My inner self complained, as it lavished in the feel of his arms around me.

"Are you awake again?" He breathed into my ear, and I twitched. How did he know?

Maybe I shouldn't have been nuzzling his chest.

Squinting up at him, I blinked. I could see the crescent moon above his head. _Late. _My brain drawled, only partially working. "Mmwake." I replied before shutting my eyes again. _Just tired. _Naruto laughed warmly, and I settled back into my almost-sleep. I probably should had been extremely embarrassed, but frankly, I was too tired to care about my predicament.

I didn't realize we had reached the room until I felt my bed underneath me, creaking in objection to my weight. Naruto hovered above me, a peaceful smile on his face.

The bed creaked some more in complaint as one of Naruto's hands rested itself beside my head. I considered myself dreaming as he leaned down, and pressed his lips gently onto my own. My heart throbbed in my chest, as I kissed back.

"Good night, Hinata." He said quietly, his forehead pressed to my own. I blushed in response, praying that this wasn't just a dream.

"Hey, why the hell is Naruto eating Hinata's face?" Someone asked from what could have been another galaxy. For all I was concerned, I was in my own little world.

"Just go to sleep, Kiba." Shino sighed.

His lips brushing my own one last time, Naruto stood back up. The corners of his mouth curled up mischievously, his eyes tracing my figure.

As he backed up and flopped down on his back, onto his own bed, I heard him exhale deeply.

"Damn." Naruto whispered. Smiling to myself, I rolled over onto my side, falling into a marvelous dream.

In it, I was in love with a crazy blond ninja, and it was wonderful.

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**End.**

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I hope you all liked Dancing. :D Leave me reviews, hmmm? :33

I actually am going to start a series soon, me thinks. I've got an idea that I'm cultivating. It'll be NaruHina, but that's all I'm going to say for now. I'll probably write out the first few chapters before I publish anything, so it could be awhile til you see it. I'll do my best to kick out a few oneshots between writing my series though. ;3


	7. Diary

Disclaimer : I am Naruto's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate! (Naruto : What's that make us?) Absolutely nothing, unfortunately. D;

Author's Notice : I really, really liked writing this one. :3 I'd been playing with the idea of a diary for Hinata for awhile. I'm glad I got this done; I've been over loaded with homework recently, but came across a brief break from the torrent today. So I produced this, to make sure I don't totally hold back on all you fellow NaruHina fans. :D If I can, I'll probably write some chapters for my series next, whether for my published Our House, or for my unpublished serious NaruHina fanfiction, I can't say. We'll see, we'll see, we'll see.

Enjoy.:D

Diary

"Hey, what's up, Kiba?" Naruto said cordially.

"What's shaking?" One of his clones said.

"Hey Kiba!" Said another clone.

"Que paso?" Another clone.

"What's going on?" Said a fourth clone.

"What's happening?" Asked a fifth clone.

"You still smell like dog!" Kiba glared dangerously at the sixth clone that spoke, defiantly placing his hands on his hips.

"God, you're annoying enough by yourself!" The Inuzuka complained, gazing at the hundred clones that stood before him, all swathed in a black and orange jumpsuit. The Naruto's laughed, before, accompanied by a cloud of smoke, all but one disappeared.

"Better?" Naruto asked, grinning. Sighing reluctantly, Kiba nodded. He would have to put up with the idiot's behavior. For now at least, for the sake his teammate.

"Much." Kiba replied.

"So, what is up?" Naruto blinked as Kiba walked to his side, and placed a consultative hand on the back of his orange jacket.

"Naruto." Kiba said gravely, only the corner of his lips giving away his fake demeanor, "We need to be serious for a moment." Cocking a eyebrow at his friend, Naruto nodded slowly.

"Er, sure. What for?"

That little tilted corner of his lip grew, until a full blown smirk encompassed Kiba's face. Pausing dramatically, Kiba eventually reached into one pockets on his own leather jacket, pulling out a slim blue book. Tilting head, Naruto gazed questioningly at his friend.

"What's that?" Smirking even more, Kiba held up the book so the blond haired ninja could see it better. Naruto's eyes bulged for a moment, before narrowing. "Aren't you a nice teammate?" Naruto stated sarcastically. Kiba laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, come on. It's not my fault she left it in her bag unprotected."

Examining his friend skeptically, Naruto frowned. "Why the hell do you want her diary?"

"Why the hell don't I want her diary?" Kiba responded without missing a beat.

"I dunno, maybe a little thing called respect?" Naruto replied angrily. "Seriously, go give it back."Kiba grinned in surprise. _Interesting that he cares enough to get worked up over it._

"And why does it matter to you what I do?" The dog boy asked smoothly.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto replied proudly. "Because that's my ninja way! It's wrong, and she's my friend, so I won't let you get away with it." _Hero complex, much? _Kiba thought to himself, rolling his eyes again.

"Oh, but there's such good stuff in here!" Beside him, Akamaru chuckled. To the ear's of others, it was a harsh growl, but Kiba knew his dog's laugh by heart.

Naruto looked unamused, as he stuck out his hand. "Hand it over, Kiba."

"Geez," Kiba said, sucking his breath in regretfully, "I dunno." Twitching, Naruto sighed, annoyed.

"Kiba." The blond whined, extending his hand a little more. "Give."

There was a heavy silence.

Then Kiba flipped open the book, and began reading.

"May fifteen; today our sensei called us to a meeting in Training Grounds Twenty." Naruto stared at his friend in shock.

"What the hell, Kiba?" He asked, baffled and upset. "You can't just read it!"

"I was so very upset!" Kiba continued nonetheless, his white canine teeth glittering as his large smirk revealed them. Taking up a girly voice, Kiba read the next sentence, "I had been hoping to try and find _Naruto-kun~!_"

Naruto decided that, at that moment, he never wanted to hear Kiba coo anything every again. It was just disturbing.

"Kiba!" He yelped, feeling like some sort of crucial breach of privacy was very close to taking place. "You can't read from her diary!"

"Too late." Kiba snickered, before leaping back as Naruto attempted to snatch the book away from him. Naruto growled, taking off after the Inuzuka, who himself turned tail and ran.

"Kiba! Come back here!" Naruto shouted.

The two dashed towards the trees, and a moment later, they were twenty feet above the ground, weaving through the forest. Each with their own mission.

"No thanks!" Was the reply. Bringing the book back up to his face, Kiba continued reading in a silly, girly voice, which fluctuated slightly every time he landed on a tree's branch and launched himself off it again. "I made him some cookies that I was going to give him, but I guess it's for the better. I'll never have the confidence to give them to him."

"Stupid smelly mutt!" Naruto spat from behind Kiba.

Back at the clearing, Akamaru whined softly. He and Kiba shared the same scent, due to their close bond. Sniffing his crotch, Akamaru blinked. _Arf arf bark grr bow-wow... ruff? (I don't smell that bad... right?)_

"He's just so amazing," Kiba cooed in a sing-song voice, as he barreled through the foliage. "I can help but _luurrrrrve _him!"

Naruto missed a branch, and ended up face planting on the forest floor. A second later, Kiba landed next to him, snapping the book close, a smug grin decorating his features. Scrambling slowly to his feet, and dusting off his pants, Naruto directed his bright red face to the Inuzuka.

"Y-you're making stuff up!" He spat, flushed. Kiba eyed his friend, clever grin revealing that he could see how embarrassed Naruto was.

"Am I?" Kiba replied swiftly, giggling uncharacteristically. "Maybe I am, but-" Turning on heel, he began to head back into the forest, "Maybe I'm not."

Naruto stared at Kiba's retreating back, dumbfounded. For some odd reason, the blond's heart was beating faster then it needed to, and the Kyuubi container found himself with a strange urge to go find the white-eyed girl.

The aforementioned white-eyed girl nearly dropped her chopsticks as her teammate materialized beside her and shoved a blue book into her lap.

"Eh, K-kiba!" She squeaked, hastily snatching the book before it slipped off her lap.

"Happy birthday!" The dog boy said cheerfully, already turning to leave.

"Happy birthday?" Hinata repeated, glancing down at the book, bewildered. "But my birthday isn't for another three months!"

"Well, it's a really early birthday present!" Kiba laughed heartily, disappearing through the restaurant's curtain door.

Reading the title of the book, Hinata blinked curiously. _A diary? _

She was even more confused when she flipped it open. "Eh? There's already writing in here!" She mumbled to herself.

Her face heated up when she read the writing.

_W-who is this girl? S-she sure, uh, seems to like Naruto-kun... _The thought that there were more girls fawning after Naruto-kun didn't settled well with her. In fact, she felt distinctively jealous. But in a passive, Hinata-esque way. Sighing, she skimmed through the writing. _She even made him cookies..._

Then the shy girl choked on her chicken noodle soup, as her eyes skimmed the end of the entry she'd been reading.

'_- Hinata Hyuuga_', it read.

"I didn't write this!" The girl yelped, face burning as she slammed the book close. A few people from surrounding tables turned to look at her, muttering under their breathe in disapproval. Shaking, Hinata tried to return their gaze apologetically. When most of the people nearby had been sated, the heiress turned her attention back to the demonic blue book.

On the front, written in curt handwriting, was a name she hadn't noticed before. Her's.

Cautiously opening the book again, she flipped through a few entries.

_February 20;_

_Today I watched Naruto train. He didn't know I was there. I'm not a stalker- I was training nearby before he appeared. I just didn't have the courage to talk to him, or the will power to move to a different training grounds. And I couldn't help but see him- my byakugan has a mind of it's own. _

_Anyways, he was amazing; those three years with Jiraiya really paid off. I mean, he's completely ripped. Sometimes I dream of running my fingers down his chest, which by the way he was showing off today. I thanked Kakashi silently when he asked my love to take off his shirt for training, so he wouldn't get it all sweaty. Personally, I don't mind my Naruto all sweaty._

_- Hinata Hyuuga_

_April 12;_

_It was a pretty dull day, mostly. My aunt sent me out for spices for the maids. They were running low on rosemary and thistle. The clerk at the grocery stand was very nice. He gave me a discount, but I refused it because our family has plenty of money. What happened when I was walking back home still stuns me._

_He talked to me. He really did. I was walking through the town, and suddenly there he was, walking towards me. My heart started beating, and I could barely breathe. For a moment I thought I might even go into cardiac arrest. It was amazing. He raised a hand, and waved at me. I nearly melted on the spot. I stuttered out a response, which he grinned at. He actually grinned at what I said! Naruto is the best. I love him so very much. _

_Hanabi had to kick me in the shins to get me to notice her, when I came back. I can't even remember what she wanted. Something about wanting to spar with me. In fact, that's probably why she's banging on my door now. Toodles!_

_- Hinata Hyuuga_

_June 5;_

_I trained with my father today. He was very strict, but I think I'm starting to master the Mountain Crusher technique. It's not really my style, but it's a handy technique. Neji uses it a lot, and I could probably too. I am surprised I managed to get things done today though. I had that dream again. The dream where we get married._

_Me and Naruto stroll down the isle, arm in arm. It's beautiful, it's amazing, it's perfect. His eyes shimmer with love, deep pools of caring glow, and god it's so romantic. I wish it could happen. I want him so bad. _(Hinata nearly choked again.) _He's just so awesome._

_Hell, he's simply amazing. So much cooler then Neji, and even if he's not cooler then Kiba, that's okay. Kiba's just too cool for me. Anyways, I want to have him for myself, to wake up next to him, to be with him. But I can't tell him that, no. I faint if he even gets too close. How sad unrequited love is! If only someone would tell him for me._

_Maybe Kiba will.  
I'd ask him, but he's probably already done it._

_:)_

_- Hinata Hyuuga_

The handwriting changed for each the entries, indicating three different authors. The same three authors seemed to have taken writing the thirty or so entries throughout the diary. Hinata could tell that Kiba did indeed write the last one, his messy handwriting giving it away it quite clearly. Also, the shadows of dried dog slobber helped..

The second one's authors was also pretty obvious. The curly ends of the 'y's and the mention of cardiac arrest meant only one thing: Haruno Sakura.

She couldn't quite pin a name to the first entry's author. Or could she? The mention of a running fingers down his chest... it sounded suspiciously like someone she knew. Then it clicked. _So this was why Ino wouldn't stop grinning at me today at the hospital. _The shy girl gulped.

Reading the last sentence in the June entry, Hinata breathed hard.

He wouldn't.

Shifting nervously in her seat, she forced the last remaining noodles in her soup down her throat. The coins clinked noisily as she rolled them out onto the table, before sliding out of her chair.

He wouldn't. Kiba would never tell Naruto that she liked him. Of course not- her teammate had more respect for her privacy. Her knuckles were white, clenching around the spine of the blue book. The fake diary, that her friends had worked in cooperation to create. Their message was clear, but perhaps a little to clear. Was it just to embarrass her?

"Kiba wouldn't tell him..." She murmured anxiously.

"Er, tell who what?" Heart stopped, Hinata head turned slowly towards the boy next to her. Naruto grinned awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"N-n-n-naruto-kun!" The poor girl shrieked, jumping a foot away. Laughing nervously, Naruto nodded.

"What's up?"

"U-uh... n-nothing!" She stuttered, too stunned to move. Her hands went up to her chest, the book pressing against her bust. Naruto's eyes flashed across the blue book, and he gulped.

"U-uh, right, so..." He said slowly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Hinata stared in amazement at him. Naruto was acting nervous. Nervous around her. His face was red too, without good reason. Eyes growing progressively bigger, Hinata began to put together two and two.

_Kiba, you didn't. _She thought in horror.

"Er, I was wondering," Naruto asked, fidgeting timidly, "if you might want to, I dunno, go out some time?"

_K-kiba... you did._ Hinata's face was set in one of complete and utter shock. One eye squinted comically, the other wide open. Naruto gazed at her, unsure. _He told Naruto._

"Hi... Hinata?" Naruto asked, taking a cautious step towards the girl.

"H-he... y-you... t-told..." She muttered incoherently, as all the blood rushed to her brain.

Then, anti-climatically, she fainted.

Cursing, Naruto shot forward, doing his best to catch her before she hit the ground.

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"So, was it a success!?" Ino all but pounced on him as he slipped into the clearing where she and Sakura had been waiting. Pushing the over excited kunoichi off him, Kiba smirked.

"Not as planned, but it did work!" He replied, before plopping down onto the ground. Ino let out a snort, unappeased.

"Whatcha mean by that?" Ino demanded.

"Yea, did he take the diary?" Sakura asked more calmly, her green eyes dancing, amused.

"Nope." Kiba answered happily, causing both girls to fall silent. The Inuzuka let out a yelp as Ino dug her fist into his head. "Ow!" He yelped, "What the hell!?"

"You just said it worked!" The flower girl snarled furiously. The amused look had abandoned Sakura's eyes, replaced by a murderous glare.

"What the hell do you mean he didn't take the diary?" The pink haired girl asked slowly, causing to Kiba to twitch nervously.

"He demanded I take it back to her! If I'd given it to him, he would have just returned it." Kiba growled weakly in explanation, wishing he wasn't outnumbered. Akamaru had wisely stayed back at their house, leaving Kiba all by himself.

"So you kept it?!" Ino roared, aiming another punch at Kiba's head, one that he avoided

"We worked for hours on that thing!" Sakura yelled herself, stalking closer to Kiba, who scrambled to his feet and held out his hands helplessly.

"Don't worry! I did something even better!" The Inuzuka claimed, backing away from the two girls.

"You better!" Ino growled, crossing her arms. "If those two aren't eating each other's faces the next time we're see them, I swear to god I'm going to take over your body and make you run through the village naked!"

Thankfully, Kiba never had to run through town naked. And it wasn't because Ino took pity on him, because goodness knows the girl kept good to her threats.

Hinata couldn't figure out why Kiba wouldn't stop thanking her the next time she saw him, a day later, especially when she had been going to thank him. But she hadn't much time to ponder over it; much to her pleasure, all thoughts seemed to leave her when Naruto's lips were pressed firmly against her own. Which just to happened to leave her with very little time for thinking.

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_- The End. _

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I don't think Hinata's the kind to have a diary.:3 But I had wanted to write a story with a diary. So this is my comprimise. ;D

~_ - _**&**_ - _~

Ino : ... _"His eyes shimmer with love, deep pools of caring glow_?_" _Jeez, what the hell, Kiba?

Kiba : ... Shutup. D: I was trying to sound girly.

~_ - _**&**_ - _~

o-O; Anyways. :D

Phase One : Accumuate reviews.

Phase Two : ???

Phase Three : Profits!


	8. The Rave

_**Disclaimer:**_ He's my best friend, best of all best friends; it tickles in my tummy, hey you should get a Naruto too! He's my best friend, best of all best friends, do you own him? Cause I sure don't!

_**Author's Note:**_ This is probably the closest I'll ever get to writing a song fic.:D Dun worry though, it's not really a song fic.

I almost scraped this story, after I wrote it. But being I scraped the last two, and haven't really produced a chapter or one shot in over two weeks, I thought I might as well post it. More humor then romance, methinks, but that's okay, right?:)

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**T**_he_** R**ave

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From: Tenten

**lol i almst regrt mising math 2day**

Apr 28, 1:10 pm

Popping a piece of gum into her mouth, Hinata blinked curiously at the text message.

From: Hinata

_**why?**_

Apr 28, 1:11 pm

The shy girl replied, not even bothering to hide her phone. Her teacher, Kakashi, seemed like he could care less about the fact that the majority of the class were either texting or listening to their iPods. He didn't typically care, but being over half the class was gone, he seemed even more detached.

Today, all the tenth graders were taking the KAKS (Konoha Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). The testing ran from eight A. M. to noon, after which time the juniors were required to come to school. The juniors and the sophomores then got to enjoy an hour in two of their classes, which was, as many juniors complained, unfair, as the seniors didn't have to come for those two hours.

Being the seniors were missing from the classes, many teachers didn't teach, granting their students with free days.

Like Kakashi, who was reading one of his questionable books as he reclined in his desk chair.

Hinata's phone let out a small beep.

From: Tenten

**dun u remmber the kurenai's promis?**

Apr 28, 1:13 pm

_What promise?_ Hinata thought, then promptly typed.

From: Hinata

_**what promise?**_

Apr 28, 1:14 pm

From: Tenten

**the 1 with naruto**

Apr 28, 1:15 pm

Chewing thoughtfully on her piece of spearmint gum, Hinata pondered over her last math class. They'd taken a test, to which Naruto had been quite vocal in his wish to pass it with flying colors.

From: Hinata

_**no idea what your talking about**_

Apr 28, 1:17 pm

From: Tenten

**lol i guess ull find out :)**

Apr 28, 1:18 pm

From: Hinata

_**what promise?**_

Apr 28, 1:19 pm

Tenten didn't respond to Hinata's text, causing the pale skinned girl to sigh.

The bell rang, and Hinata headed for her second and last class of the day. As she entered the math class, she didn't really notice much astray, not at first.

"God, this is going to be interesting." Turning, Hinata smiled at the speaker.

"Hi Sakura." She greeted. Sakura grinned in response, and nodded.

"Hey Hinata! Sup?"

"Nothing much." Hinata replied, glancing up at the board. Kurenai hadn't written any assignments, which meant that today would be a free day.

"Oh my god, he actually brought it!" Ino's voice rang out, and a moment later, the blond appeared in the doorway, giggling.

"Seriously?" Sakura laughed in response, heading over to the doorway, and peeking out.

"Erm, brought what?" Feeling heavily out the loop, Hinata shifted her weight nervously.

"Oh my god, you idiot!" Sakura called out to someone in the hallway, grinning. "That thing's gonna get stolen."

"Hell if I'm taking my eyes off it." Came the reply, and Hinata blinked. _Naruto? _"The stupid thing cost me an arm and a leg."

Sakura backed up, and Shikamaru brushed through the door, carrying a set of speakers.

_Okay, what the heck? _Inner Hinata demanded, as outer Hinata paled.

"What a pain in the ass." Shikamaru sighed, as he unceremoniously dumped the speakers onto the nearest table. Shino, who was sitting at said table, looked up in annoyance.

"Oi, careful with those Shikamaru!" Naruto yelped, as he himself appeared, carrying a larger speaker on which was a panel with various buttons and numbers. What shocked Hinata though, was the odd colored circular sticks which he wore as necklaces and bracelets.

"Are those... glow sticks?" She asked softly.

"Well I'll be damned, I think they are!" Came a barking laugh, as Kiba made his way over her side. "This is gonna be one helluva class." Hinata could only numbly nod as she watched Naruto scrambled to hook up the speakers.

From: Hinata

_**what was the promise?**_

Apr 28, 1:34 pm

Hinata typed out the text quickly, glancing up nervously at where the blond haired boy was attempting to get the speaker set to connect with his iPod.

The pupil-less girl hated to feel out of the loop, but as the same time was way to nervous to ask Sakura or Ino; what if Naruto would hear?

When her phone beeped again, Hinata jumped slightly.

"Twitchy today?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow as she dug her phone out of her pocket.

From: Tenten

**kurenai promised that if naruto made 100 on his test shed let him thrw a rav party durng kaks week**

Apr 28, 1:37 pm

_A rave party? _Hinata thought in utter bafflement, staring down at her phone. Glancing over at Kurenai, she gulped. Her teacher looked like she was pouting, glaring at Naruto as he adjusted the settings on his stereo set.

"Good!" He proclaimed happily, before tearing off one of the glow sticks from around his neck, and handing it to Shikamaru. The lazy boy sighed, before wordlessly clipping the glow stick around his own neck.

"You'll owe me for putting up with this." Shikamaru grumbled. Naruto laughed and nodded, before handing a bracelet to Chouji.

"Oh, I want a pink necklace!" Ino squealed happily.

"What?" Sakura yelped angrily, whipping around to glare at the blond girl. "I want pink!"

"Well, tough luck, forehead!"

"Pink's my color!"

"I called it first!"

"Um, I have two pink ones." Naruto put in, but neither girls seemed to hear him.

"So what? I always get pink!"

"Maybe that's why you're so boring!"

"Excuse me!? Boring!? Well, at least I don't look like a slut!"

"You're just jealous cause I have a bigger bust!" Ino all but screeched.

"I HAVE TWO OF THEM!" Naruto yelled, before shoving the two pink glow stick necklaces at the girls.  
"Oh, sweet!" Ino said happily, clipping it around her neck.

"Totally!" Sakura replied just as cheerfully, as she put hers on.

"Ha, we're like twins!" Ino giggled, to which Sakura also giggled.

"The pink twins." At which both girls let out a gasp.

"Oh my god, that could be like a rock band name!"

"We'd be awesome superstars!" Sakura agreed, nodding.

Hinata tipped her head to the side, observing her friends curiously. It amazed her how they could fight one minute, then go back to being perfect friends the next.

"No thanks." Shino said darkly, as Naruto offered him a glow stick.

"Oh, come on! You can have the pink bracelet!" Before Shino could argue, Naruto snapped the pink glow stick bracelet onto the bug enthusiast's wrist.

"How manly!" Kiba commented to Shino, before taking a green glow stick for himself. Shino scowled, before peeling the bracelet off his arm, and placing it carefully on the table.

Naruto didn't notice, as his back was to the Aburame, as he made his way over to Hinata.

_Don't blush, don't blush. _She shy girl thought to herself, sucking in her breath.

"What color do you want, 'Nata?" Naruto asked, grinning.

"Ah, yellow's fine." She answered, blushing only a little as she held out a hand for the glow stick. Naruto though, as he unhooked a yellow glow stick from around his neck, seemed to have something else in mind.

Not blushing wasn't a option for Hinata, as Naruto leaned forward, invading her personal space bubble quite severely. _Dear god, _she thought, as his hands brushed past her neck, shifting her hair to the side. Her pale eyes automatically flashed away from his blue ones, which seemed to dance in the fluorescent lighting.

Kiba caught her gaze, and raised an eye brow.

"There." Naruto laughed happily, stepping back to admire his work. Hinata gulped nervously, and fiddled with the yellow glow stick that now hung from her neck.

"Ah, th-th-thank you Naruto." She muttered, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"I'm turning the lights off!" Ino yelled suddenly, before indeed, snapping the lights off. The math room, having no windows except for the small one in the door, was instantly engrossed in darkness.

Well, with the exception of the glow sticks. Naruto wasn't the only one laughing, as the eight juniors in the class took in the sight of the brightly colored glow sticks that almost seemed to be floating.

"How do you turn this thing on?" Sakura asked, from over by the stereo.

"Press the play button?" Naruto suggested, as his form, with two glow stick necklaces and three bracelets, made his way over to her. "I dunno, I just got it."

They seemed to have figured it out, as music suddenly blared out of the stereo, at what had to have been max volume.

"Naruto!" Several of the juniors, and Kurenai, yelled.

"Sorry!" He shouted over the music, before attempting to lower the volume.

"Oh my god, what song is this?" Ino asked, and Hinata jumped. She hadn't noticed the pink glow stick making it's way over to her.

"Um, I dunno. I've heard it." Hinata said, shrugging. The music playing was rock, and was definitely some oldie hit.

"Come on feel the noise!" Sakura sang along, as she walked over to Hinata's other side, "Girls, rock your boys!"

"Got it!" Naruto suddenly yelled, lowering the volume to a more decent level. Although it was still pretty loud. Hinata glanced nervously at the door, wondering if any of the other teachers would be upset with the blaring music.

"Good, now move!" Ino said, moving again.

"Eh?" Naruto asked, as Ino pushed him to the side. The music went dead a second later, even though the song hadn't finished. "Hey!" The blond haired boy complained.

"Oh please, like we're going to listen to music off your iPod." Ino snapped, as she leaned over (judging mainly by the vertical position of her glow stick necklace) the stereo set. Then, another song started playing. One Hinata was well versed in, even if she didn't have it on her own iPod.

"You change you're mind, like a girl changes clothes!" Ino and Sakura sang out together, their glow sticks bopping up and down as the two girls bounced in place. Hinata laughed, pitching in a little herself as the chorus started, "Cause you're hot and you're cold, you're yes and you're no, you're in and you're out, you're up and you're down!"

"Oh great." Kiba snorted, "A chick song."

"Wake me up when it's over." Shikamaru sighed, joining the Inuzuka in the corner of the room, away from the stereo. A moment later, they were joined by Shino.

"Oh, come on guys!" Naruto yelled, "You have to dance!" And then, the blond started to dance himself, though quite comically. Hiding her mouth behind her sleeve, Hinata giggled at his antics. She was pretty sure the 'sprinkler' dance move was out dated.

"Er, dancing is not really my thing..." Chouji said, as he slipped past Naruto and joined the rest of the boys in the corner.

"What do you mean, dancing's not your thing!?" Naruto demanded, hopping onto a chair.

"Naruto, get down!" Kurenai snapped, from where she was taking shelter behind her desk.

"Chouji, my man, you could own the dance floor and you know it!"

"Naruto!" Their teacher snapped again, and Naruto finally hopped off the chair.

Ino gasped intently, before squealing with ardor, "Oh my god, we need a dance floor!" The desk next to Hinata jumped into motion, as Ino started to shove it and the other desks around. Sakura pitched in, and the two eventually cleared a large space, which they then deemed the 'dance floor'.

The song ended. When the stereo proclaimed, 'Peace up, A-town down!' Ino and Sakura squealed.

"Yea yea, yea!" The sang together, as they danced slowly, swirling their hands by their sides, and shifting their bodies in a way Hinata really didn't feel like trying. Her two friends, though, had different ideas.

"Hinata, dance!" Ino demanded, grabbing the shyer girl's arm, and dragged her onto the hastily made dance floor.

"Oh, um, no thanks! I'm good!" Hinata yelped, struggling.

"Come on Hinata!" Naruto said, his words causing the Hyuuga to blush. "Let's get down and boogie!" Sakura and Ino let out a short howls at that, clapping their hands.

"Yea, yea, yea!" The two sang out together, as the song ended.

The next song was much more upbeat... a little too up beat.

"Nanana nana nana!" The two bold girl sang together, "He's my best friend, best of all best friends!"

"Dear god, no!" Kiba yelled, and the crashing of desks and chairs was heard. A moment later, both Shino and Shikamaru could be heard cursing, as Kiba desperately grasped at Ino's iPod. The song changed, much to Ino and Sakura's protests.

Hinata just laughed softly.

Kiba stuck out his tongue, the glow from the iPod casting a ghostly glow onto his face. "No Toy Box." The Inuzuka flipped through a few songs, before settling with one.

"Fine." Ino snapped, before turning her attention to the new song the song that started. "You spin my head right round, right round, when you go down, when you go down, down!" Both she and Sakura sang with the chorus. The second time the chorus sounded, Hinata even pitched in, as she swayed awkwardly to the beat.

"Oh please, you call that dancing?" Ino snapped from Hinata's right side, and the shy girl laughed nervously.

"I-, um.." Excuses weren't forthcoming, as they almost never were with the Hyuuga girl.

The poor thing nearly jumped out of her skin a moment later, as a pair of warm hands encompassed her own.

"Ah- Naruto!" She yelped, only resisting his pull a little as he lead her further onto the makeshift dance floor

"Come on Hinata," The blond laughed, "you've gotta get funky with it!"

"F-f-funky?" She stuttered, as he began to pull rhythmically on her arms, causing her to twist in place.

"Yea!" Naruto laughed happily, before releasing one of her hands. For a moment, Hinata thought she was about to reattain her freedom. But he didn't release her other hand, instead, lifting it up.

"U-u-uh?"

"You're supposed to spin." Naruto said softly, leaning forward and placing his mouth near her ear. Hinata shivered, as his warm breathe tickled her ear.

"A-ah, r-right." Hinata gulped, before allowing Naruto to twirl her.

When Sakura wolf whistled, Hinata swiftly covered her face with her free hand, hiding the blush that was already invisible due to the lack of light.

"Oh, shut up Sakura." Naruto laughed in response, his bracelets sliding down his arm as he rubbed his the back of his head... nervously?

_No, that's silly, _Hinata thought anxiously, her gaze falling to the ground. _He's never nervous._

"Oh, let's do the cha-cha slide!" Ino yelled suddenly, her glow stick necklace tilting vertically as she leaned over her iPod and changed the song.

"Oh, great idea!" Sakura pitched in. Hinata flushed, nodding her own approval.

As Naruto released her hand, Hinata flexed her fingers experimentally. _Gah, I wish he was still holding my hand. _Inner Hinata remorsed.

"Dance, you lazy ass!" Ino yelled, drawing the majority of the classroom's attention.

"Go to hell." Shikamaru growled crankily, resisting the pull of his female friend.

"No! Now, all of you get up!" With one last tug, Ino pulled Shikamaru roughly to his feet. The boy glared, but seemed to relent as he let her drag him onto the little dance floor.

Kiba let out a yelp, as his chair bucked under him, and he was thrown onto the floor. Sakura let out a cruel laugh, as she set the back legs of the chair back on the ground.

Wisely, Chouji and Shino decided to comply before Sakura or Ino tried to persuade them.

`"And this time, we're gonna get funky!" Sakura and Ino chimed together, in sync with the music. With unbridled enthusiasm, they clapped, hopped, stomped, slided, and cha-cha'ed real smooth. Kiba and Naruto started competing to see who could do the dance commands the fastest. Chouji, Shikamaru, and Shino, on the other hand, didn't even bother to do most of the commands. But in their defense, they were standing, and did do the majority of the sliding.

Ino still wasn't pleased, and as she unplugged her iPod at the end of the period, she berated both Chouji and Shikamaru on their dance skills.

"Two twenty eight." Sakura announced, reading the time off her watch.

"Finally." Kurenai sighed, before flicking the lights back on. Staring at the clock on the wall, Hinata blinked. Sakura's time reading was indeed correct. Some how though, the class seemed like it had just started.

Or perhaps, like it ended too soon?

When the bell rang, Shikamaru and Chouji were the first out the door, both being hotly pursued by Ino, who was still ranting.

"You didn't even try!" The blond's remarks could be heard, as she traveled down the hallway after the two boys.

Kiba escaped next, giggling insanely. Hinata, as she shouldered her bag, tipped her head curiously at Kiba's retreating back. The shy girl stepped back, as Shino brushed past her quickly.

"Kiba!" Shino growled loudly, disappearing out the door in pursuit of the Inuzuka.

"Dude, I can't believe you actually have her number!" Kiba's laughter could be heard from the hallway.  
"Give me my phone back!" Shino snapped darkly, sounding oddly normal as he did so.

"Make me!" Kiba's shout echoed down the hallway, and Kurenai shook her head sadly. Teenagers.

"See you!" Sakura's exit wasn't flashy, with a small wave at Hinata. Of course, this left Hinata in the room with Naruto. Closing her eyes and exhaling slowly, she gathered her confidence and headed towards the door. She slowed as she reached the door.

"Bye Naruto!" Hinata said cordially, turning and smiling back at the blond who was attempting to untangle the cords of the speakers. Naruto looked up at her curiously, and Hinata gulped and blushed at the attention. Twisting on her heel, the girl quickly exited the classroom.

She didn't make it three steps before Naruto called after her.

"Hinata, wait!" He said, and Hinata froze. Oxygen eluded her, and she closed her eyes, trying to keep herself calm.

"A-ah, y-y-yes, Na-naruto?" Hinata asked quietly, turning and forcing her eyes to meet the approaching boy.

"Ah, I um..." His eyes darted up and down her figure, causing her to become even more self conscious. She shifted her weight, eyes dropping down to his shoes. Adidas. Black and white. "I forgot to get back the glow stick." Naruto suddenly said deviously. Meeting his eyes again, Hinata blushed. A foxy grin adorned the boy's face, and his eyes were glimmering dangerously.

When everyone else had left, they had taken their glow sticks, and Naruto hadn't said a word. Sakura had even whispered to Ino, asking they should give the glow sticks back. Ino had shushed her friend, before shaking her head and hissing at Sakura not to remind him, being she wanted to keep the glowing necklace.

_Why does he want mine? _

Her thoughts halted abruptly as Naruto stepped forward, closing the space between them.

Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words as Naruto's hands slide over her shoulders, and around her neck.

His eyes stared into her own, denying her of any thoughts.

Inner Hinata sighed dreamily, as Naruto's face came even closer.

Her eyes fluttered close without her consent. And then, she felt some soft press against her own lips.

His lips.

Shoving the last folder back into the drawer, Kurenai sighed. "Should be everything." She muttered softly to herself, before closing the drawer and turning.

The teacher blinked a few times, at the sight before her. She waited. Then waited some more. _For god's sake... _She thought, rolling her eyes. _Don't they need to breathe?_

Clearing her throat loudly, Kurenai said, "Good _bye_, Naruto, Hinata!" The two teens leapt apart, both red faced.

"A-a-ah, good bye, Kurenai!" Hinata yelped, looking like she might just pass out, judging by the way her chest was heaving with every breath.

"Ah, yea, see ya." Naruto muttered, his eyes on Hinata, much more subdued then usual.

Kurenai rolled her eyes as Naruto took Hinata's hand, and led her out of the classroom.

"So, um, whatcha doing friday?" She heard him ask.

"What am I... doing..." Hinata muttered in response, sounding almost sleepy.

"Eh? Hinata? Are you okay- Hinata!" At Naruto yelled, Kurenai quickly dashed to the door, and looked out. The girl was slumped against Naruto, a peaceful look on her face. "Kurenai, I think she fainted!" Naruto yelped, wrapping his arms protectively around Hinata.

"Well, then take her to the nurse." Kurenai replied, waving her hand dismissively, before disappearing back into her classrooms.

_Teenagers. _Kurenai thought, rolling her eyes again and grinning.

**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:

From: Tenten

**heeeeeeeey**

Apr 28, 4:52 pm

From: Neji

_**Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested.**_

Apr 28, 4:54 pm

From: Tenten

**shutup jackass. wanna know wat we mised in math 2day?**

Apr 28, 4:55 pm

From: Neji

_**I already asked Kurenai if were going to learn anything today. We didn't miss anything.**_

Apr 28, 4:59 pm

From: Tenten

**well we missed the rave party**

Apr 28, 5:00 pm

From: Neji

_**I'm already aware of that.**_

Apr 28, 5:02 pm

From: Tenten

**ya but r aware bout wat happened wit ur cousin?**

Apr 28, 5:04 pm

From: Neji

_**No.**_

Apr 28, 5:05 pm

From: Tenten

**well its rely intersting**

Apr 28, 5:06 pm

From: Neji

_**I'm sure.**_

Apr 28, 5:06 pm

From: Tenten

**im serius its amazin**

Apr 28, 5:07 pm

From: Tenten

**relllllly amazin**

Apr 28, 5:11 pm

From: Tenten

**rely rely**

Apr 28, 5:17 pm

From: Tenten

… **dammit neji reply!**

Apr 28, 5:20 pm

From: Neji

_**Stop texting me.**_

Apr 28, 5:21 pm

From: Tenten

**no**

Apr 28, 5:22 pm

From: Tenten

…

Apr 28, 5:29 pm

From: Tenten

**nejiii**

Apr 28, 5:34 pm

From: Tenten

**dam u **

Apr 28, 5:37 pm

From: Tenten

…

Apr 28, 5:40 pm

From: Tenten

**NARUTO MADE OUT WITH HINATA IN MATH**

Apr 28, 5:42 pm

From: Neji

… _**I swear to god, if you are lieing, Tenten...**_

Apr 28, 5:44 pm

From: Tenten

**im not. :D**

Apr 28, 5:45 pm

From: Tenten

…

Apr 28, 5:53 pm

From: Tenten

**he askd her out 2**

Apr 28, 5:57 pm

From: Neji

… _**do you know Uzumaki's address, by any chance?**_

Apr 28, 6:01 pm_**  
**_

From: Tenten

**no way in hell icefloat :3**

Apr 28, 6:03 pm

**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:

From: Hinata

_**tenten, please tell me u didn't tell my cousin**_

Apr 28, 6:46 pm

From: Tenten

**0=) ofcorse not hinata, why wuld I tell him?**

Apr 28, 6:48 pm

From: Hinata

_**then why does he keep muttering 'death 2 uzumaki'?**_

Apr 28, 6:51 pm

From: Hinata

_**tenten?**_

Apr 28, 6:59 pm

From: Hinata

_**hello?**_

Apr 28, 7:04 pm

From: Hinata

_**he wants to talk to me**_

Apr 28, 7:12 pm

From: Hinata

_**YOU TOLD HIM**_

Apr 28, 7:26 pm

**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:

From: Naruto

**HINATA HELP UR COUSIN IS TRYING TO KILL ME**

Apr 28, 8:31 pm

**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:

**E**_nd._

**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:**:****-**:-**_:_-**:_-_:

Hm... I'll be honest, other then the little text messages, I didn't really like this story. D: (which is why I almost scraped it).

What do you think? Give me your opinions, they make me feel good! I also ADORE critics, those who tell me what was really good and what was really bad. That way I can then focus on improving what was bad, and inflating what was good.:3

This is based on a real thing.o-o; We have a rave party in math, and I was sitting in that class thinking "This would make a great story..." during the majority of the little rave we had.

The songs (if you're curious) :

Cum On Feel the Noiz - Quiet Riot

Hot 'n' Cold - Katy Perry

Yea! (feat. Lil' John & Ludacris) - Usher

Best Friend - Toy Box

Right Round - Flo Rida

Cha Cha Slide - Mr. C

;3

Review?


	9. Courage

She was ashamed of herself for caring so much about him.

He wasn't the only fish in the ocean. He wasn't perfect. It wasn't that she had some sort of extra special bond with him.

The best word she could come up to explain it was _obsession_. What a horrible word. A terrible, guilty word, reminding her of how her heart nearly stopped every time she saw him. Didn't matter where - on the street, on the training fiend, through the window of a store – her heart would splutter.

She'd stand there, staring, mouth slightly agape. It was him, her crush. The boy she cared much too much for. Standing there, not noticing her, never noticing her.

Sometimes he'd see her and smile. She'd smile back quickly, and he'd turn his attention back to wherever it had been. But, he never really noticed her.

He never filled her dreams. Never once did he get up, and walk over to her. Never once did he produce a rose from his jacket, and offer it to her. Never once did he ride his white stallion over to her, wearing his shining armor, and save her from the tragedy of her unrequited love.

Her friends said she had no taste. They looked at him, they looked at her, and told her he wasn't worth it. They told her they couldn't see what she saw in him. Their words were like pin pricks, poking into her confidence, little spikes of pain that she had to nod casually and ignore. Anyways, their words were nothing compared to how his gaze swept past her so easily.

So she sat at the big table with the rest of the ninjas from her year, and played with her hair. He'd sit right across from her, but never once - she'd swear later, tearfully - would he look at her.

Her confidence had never been great. It wasn't big and strong, able to stand up to any challenge.

Her's was small, unsure, and ready to run away. Ready to cry, ready to hide, ready to do anything but stand up to the challenge. She didn't say anything to him, she tried not to look at him, she put on a nonchalant face whenever she found herself near him.

If only she said something. If only she turned to him, smiled first, and spoke. Why hadn't she told him how she felt? The words were simple, nothing over bearing. It should have been a minor task, compared to all the crazy shit she did all the time as a ninja. It was only three words.

_I like you._

They never came out. If they had, things could have been different. Maybe his eyes would have been trained only on her, and stayed there. Maybe, just maybe, he would have asked her out. Maybe, way down the line, she'd feel his lips pressing against her. Maybe her heart would splutter, as the most miraculous feelings filled her up.

Shyness can be truly crippling.

She sat in her room, crying. Nothing new.

All because she couldn't say those words, those three words.

Then there was her sister, standing in the door way, scowling. Once again, nothing new. The words though, Hanabi spoke.

"**Courage is imaginary**." Spoke her sister, "**You can do everything. End of story.**"

The next day, Hinata spoke to Naruto. Surprisingly, they hit off. Their friends were amused, seeing how happily the blond boy talked with her, and seeing how pink the pale girl turned.

- **x** - x - **x **- x - author's notes - x **x** - x - **x** -

Based on my own experiences recently. I realize it's pretty short; it was a spur of the moment sort of writing.


End file.
